


Gods and Admins

by WhiteWolfCub (SilverWolfCub)



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Bad Coping Methods, Demon, Dream Smp, Dreamon, Friendship, Gen, Gods, Hurt/Comfort, Mind Control, Protective Dream, Protective Everyone, Switch POVs almost every chapter, Violence, Zombies, admins, code, death is sometimes permanent, minecraft but it's real life, no beta we die like men, powers, servers, they're all also idiots, they're all over protective, they're all practically family they just don't know it yet, very smart idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:28:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 41
Words: 81,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27037207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverWolfCub/pseuds/WhiteWolfCub
Summary: Previously titled ‘To Taunt a God’Respawning was a tricky business in the new updates. No one but the gods knew why it became more glitchy as time went on, they just knew it was best to avoid dying at any cost. They didn't want to chance the respawn glitch and die permanently.No one would've ever thought that someone would use that glitch to their advantage, but when a strange admin joins the server without permission, they'll realize that not everyone has good intentions.
Comments: 539
Kudos: 1305
Collections: My favorite fanfics





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay let's get some stuff out of the way first:
> 
> 1\. This is all just for fun of course. I doubt anyone would do this but don't bother any of the streamers with any of these stories, they have better stuff to do then be dealing with it. These stories are more for the fans than them anyway, I think.  
> 2\. Idc if you wanna ship them or anything. It's all friendship in this story but if you wanna think of it differently I really don't care. It's all fun and games as long as you know where the line is and you don't cross it. Read the story in any way you want to, I won't judge.  
> 3\. This first chapter is basically world building interlaced in plot. The story as a whole takes place after the L'Manburg war.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

The revolution was a lot less… fatal, then Tommy expected it to be. By the end of it, he had only died once, and that wasn't even due to the war.  _ That _ death was from before, when he first started roaming the server on his own. He didn't notice the skeleton, and by the time he did it was too late. Weaponless and armorless, there was nothing he could do.

He respawned in the community house, and later he realized that the lack of mobs he ran into after that wasn't due to luck. Instead, someone was killing them before they became a problem, and Tommy knew it was Dream, but he didn't care enough to learn  _ why. _

It happened during the war too. There were multiple times Tommy closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable, but the inevitable didn’t happen. In the early battles his worst injuries were an arrow through the shoulder (one that should’ve, in all fairness, gone through his heart, because George was  _ right there- _ ) and a twisted ankle. And it wasn’t just his imagination, Spanap and Punz never went for the fatal swing, Dream never used his axe the way a psychopath -which he  _ was _ pretending to be- would use it, and George’s arrows never found vital areas. He knew that the war was just for fun, he knew the revolution was just roleplaying and at the end of the day they’re all still friends, but  _ seriously, _ he wanted to feel more in danger!

He dealt with it, for the most part, until they were around a week in. The last battle had been bloody, but no one had died and all wounds had been healed almost immediately (why did everyone _ but _ him have healing pots on them?). By the end of the day, it was Tommy’s clothes which had taken the biggest lost.

He was at a river now, trying to scrub the dried blood out of his revolutionary pants. The entire costume needed a wash, if he was honest. He just wished he brought soap.

As if the gods heard, a bar of soap landed next to him in the water, sudding up immediately. Tommy whipped around, surprised to see Sapnap and George behind him. “What are you doing here?”

They shrugged, which didn’t make Tommy feel better. He’s been in multiple wars on multiple servers, and each war had different rules. Would they attack Tommy outside of battle, when he was alone? Would they take him hostage? He hated being held hostage. Why did he come out here on his own? Stupid-

“We use this river to wash clothes too.” Sapnap said, and the two settled a few feet away from him, wading into the water. They apparently had soap to spare. “Question is, why are  _ you _ out here at night with no armor on?”

Tommy really didn’t understand the big thing about armor on this server. Everyone  _ always _ had on armor. Wilbur said armor wasn’t allowed in L’Manburg, but he only started actually following that rule once the walls were up. Outside of L’Manburg the armor came back on. Tommy always just contributed it to being paranoid about the war, but maybe it was something else. “I’m washing my uniform.” He replied, taking the pants out of the water to dry. He also had to clean his jacket. The other two only brought a single article of clothing each, which would mean they would all finish at around the same time. Tommy wondered if they planned that, somehow. “What’s it matter to you?”

George blinked, as if confused. His eyes were more expressive than Tommy’s ever seen, he understands why he usually wears goggles. It was unnerving. “It’s dangerous.” The man said, as if that answered everything.

“We’re on different sides of the war, you shouldn’t care.” Tommy reminded lightly. Breaking character destroyed the story. Just to calm them, though, he added. “I’ll be fine.”

The two looked at each other, and Tommy wondered why they were worried in the first place. He didn’t really know them, he’s only seen and talked to them in passing. Maybe it was because he was a ‘kid’ to them. He’ll have to ask Tubbo if they act the same way to him, too. Not to mention that if his hunch is right, on his first night here, after he died to the skeleton, both of them helped Dream in clearing out mobs. Why were they acting like his guardian angels? Tommy knows he’s not the best fighter, but he’s not that bad… right?

They continued to wash their clothes in silence, and when they were all done Sapnap and George walked with him back to his house. They never mentioned it, and Tommy didn’t bring it up again.

That wasn’t the only time something like that had happened. After Eret’s betrayal he was making his way through the nether. When the ambush happened the only one to make it out was Tubbo, who ducked under grabbing arms and swinging swords. Everyone else, Tommy included, were captured and taken out into the sun. He was sure it was execution time, but all they did was take their armor and send them on their way. No, scratch that, they didn’t even  _ do _ that! They replaced any diamond and netherite armor they had with iron and sent them on their way!

Tommy still didn’t believe it. He was out looking for ancient debris, and after a few hours of searching, came back empty. The area around the nether hub was completely cleared out, and Tommy didn’t feel like journeying much further then that. Still, somehow, he managed to get lost.

“Need some help there?”

Tommy wasn’t one to hold grudges, but Eret’s betrayal was a bit too fresh for him to act normally around the man. It didn’t help that he had on netherite, as if mocking him and his iron. “I’m fine.”

“So you’re trying to walk further away from the portal?” Eret asked, a small smile gracing his lips. “Come on, I’ll take you there.”

“I can find it myself.” Tommy muttered, but then he heard a ghast and decided he  _ really _ didn’t want to die in the nether today. Besides, he can just pretend like Eret was his goon escorting him. Yeah, that’s totally what’s happening.

The traitor didn’t try to talk to him, but he hummed as he walked along the netherrack. He was basically a bodyguard, protecting him against the piglins and magma cubes in the area. After a few minutes he couldn’t help himself. “Why’d you do it?”

The man shrugged. “I thought it would be fun.” He said. “Besides, now the admin owes me.”

Tommy perked up. That would be Dream, right? He owned the server, and to own a server you had to be an admin. He didn’t really understand much about that- he knew admins had more power, being a lesser god or demigod or whatever it was. As long as he didn’t use it against  _ him, _ Tommy didn’t care much. “What does he owe you?”

Eret smirked. “That’s a secret between me and him.” He stopped, and when Tommy looked ahead he could see the portal a few yards away. “I trust you’ll be fine the rest of the way?”

Tommy nodded, but didn’t thank him. Going into the nether in iron was always a bit nerve racking. He’s not a speedrunner or anything like that, he’s not used to doing things like this. So while he’d never thank him verbally, that didn’t mean he wasn’t trying to express his gratitude through body language. “Next time I see you, I’m stabbing you.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less!”

There were other things, some big, some small, that made Tommy wonder why no one wanted to deal the final blow. Battles always ended before someone was fatally wounded, no one ever fought outside of battles, the enemies were downright  _ friendly _ when they ran into him. He’s lost track of the amount of times Sapnap, George, Punz, and sometimes even Dream just appeared while he was out alone, like they just wanted to give him company. They actively protected him, always told him to wear armor, gave him healing potions if he got hurt, it was dotting and while Tommy loved the attention he hated how it made him feel.  _ Tubbo _ even treated him the same way, sometimes. He made sure he wasn’t hurt after fighting and kept giving him armor, he didn’t understand.

There was only one moment in the war that Tommy was  _ sure _ he was going to die. George was lighting a piece of tnt in their base, the rest of their group far away from the explosion site. Dream’s fingers were glowing blue, signifying that he was either typing in the universal chat or that he was going through the server code. To him it just looked like he was tapping at thin air, but the man’s posture told him that whatever he was doing was important.

The tnt was lit and suddenly the ground was falling out from underneath them.

Tommy never liked getting exploded. It was one of the worst ways to die, in his opinion, and it took awhile to respawn from. One piece of a tnt’s fuse caught right next to his face, and he turned away, hopeing it wouldn’t hurt too much, before there was a tug in his stomach and his ears popped at the sudden change in pressure.

They… they were on top of the wall. All of the L’Manburgians had been teleported to the top of the wall, and they watched from a safe distance as their land was destroyed. Faintly, they could hear Dream’s team shout in joy.

It suddenly clicked.

Dream had teleported them away. He used his admin powers. He made it  _ impossible  _ to save anything. He  _ abused _ his powers!

He turned to Wilbur, anger starting to mount, but Wilbur didn’t look mad, not at all. He looked…  _ relieved _ . Beyond relieved. And so did the rest of his team. Did they not realize Dream just cheated and abused his powers? Sure, he stopped them from dying, but now their land was destroyed!

He wanted to stay mad, but confusion slowly overtook him. It didn’t make sense. Did he do that to stop them, or to keep them alive? And if it’s the latter, why?

Why were people so averse to killing on this server?

It was maybe a week or so after the war ended that Tommy finally found out about the respawn glitch. 

Every person is made up of code, and when a person enters a server, their code is moved into that server until they leave. When a person dies, their code resets, causing a respawn. Sometimes, though, part of that code is misplaced in the reset. When that happens, the person can't respawn, meaning they're permanently dead.

This glitch has always been a problem, ever since the gods created this world, but something in the new updates made this glitch happen more frequently, and no amount of patches the gods did could fix it. Wilbur thinks it's because of the new mobs they added.

"More ways to die, more ways to glitch." He said one day, placing a flower into a pot in the corner. The van had been destroyed in the war, but instead of rebuilding it, they put a house there instead. Now they could actually _ live _ in their land if they wanted too. The people in Dream's land helped out too. He even saw Dream help make the roof. Once the war was over, once they were done practically playing pretend, they went back to how they were before.

"Is that why they never killed us during the war?" He asked after a moment of silence. When Wilbur nodded, he frowned. "But  _ we _ tried to kill them."

Wilbur laughed. "They're all wearing enchanted armor, we were basically throwing snowballs at them. Besides, I know they all carry apples and healing potions. I do." He took a golden apple wrapped in cloth out of his pocket, but instead of putting it away, he tossed it to Tommy. "You probably need it more than I do."

He definitely did, considering a creeper almost blew him up right after he left the gates of L'Manburg. After that, he always wore armor, even if all he had left was plain iron.

It was still strange to him, though. The last semi-updated server he played on was SMPEarth. Besides that, there was Hypixel, but that server purposely stayed behind. He's pretty sure their admin struck a deal with the gods to make sure Hypixel could stay in their past versions. He wouldn't be the first admin to do that.

_ Did Hypixel do that to keep the risk of perma-death low? _

Maybe, but that still didn't explain SMPEarth. Tommy died quite a lot, not only to people, but to stupid mistakes as well. He doesn't remember how many times he crashed his plane. And that server was kept mostly up to date, for the time it was runned. Is the increased frequency new? Who found out about it?

Tommy didn't want to know the answer to the second question.

And try as he might, he was already solving the first question. No, this wasn't new. Thinking back to Earth, he had a good amount of wars, and the amount of times he died compared to the amount of times he  _ should've _ died didn't equal. Of course the people on that server weren't mortal enemies with a bone to pick. They didn't try to kill people, most of the time. Even Techno, who Tommy frequently annoyed, only killed him once, when he killed Floof, and  _ that _ was an accident. He even apologized after. He's had many close calls when fighting, but usually right before the final blow the other person would stop and go on about their day.

Did they all know about the respawn glitch? And Tommy was just egging them on? Man, he was more annoying than he thought he was.

His curiosity eventually led him to seek out Dream. The man in question was in his 'secret' base, legs dangling off a pit trap right in the middle of it. Tommy wondered who set up the trap, and if he fell in. "Nice home decor." He said instead.

Dream had on his mask, so Tommy couldn't see his expression when he turned to him, but he didn't think he was upset. "This isn't your trap, I'm guessing." He replied. "It's too smart for you."

Tommy scoffed, but didn't rise to the bait. Sensing that this might be serious, Dream didn't continue the joke. "The first few days I was here." He started. "After I died that first time, I didn't have to deal with any other mobs. I know it was you. Is it because of the respawn glitch?"

The masked man winced. "I didn't know you didn't know about it, then." Was his answer. "I thought you were just being an idiot, wandering around in the dark with no protection."

Tommy paused, having no answer to that. His confidence had left him, ever since he learned about the respawn glitch. Knowing that what he thought of as jokes and pranks could permanently end someone was… something he didn’t want to think about right now. He hated people calling him a kid, or childish, and yet here he was, acting a fool as others around him had to make up for it. 

“Do you know why this is happening?” Tommy asked instead, hopeing he would know more. Dream  _ was _ an admin- he owned this server, and only admins could create and own servers. They were like gods in a sense, and they all knew  _ much  _ more than they ever let on.

He didn’t know how admins really worked, either. It wasn’t something he ever found interesting enough to look up, and he rarely paid attention in school. If the gods created the world, they created admins to help stabilize it. Admins are chosen and turned into admins at birth, and they can go their entire lives without ever knowing they are one. Most though, figure it out and are sent to a special school to learn and train their powers. Tommy’s heard admins can even read enchanted. Besides that, though, he was in the dark about what admins could really do. Most people are- admins are pretty secretive. He wouldn't be surprised if even George and Sapnap knew little about Dream’s powers.

“The respawn glitch?” Dream asked, emotions hidden, and that mask was more annoying than unnerving. Tommy’s seen the man’s face before, Dream wasn’t as strict about it as most people outside of his server thought he was. He took it off occasionally -the night after the war, the dinner they all had together, the party they threw by the ocean- but Wilbur told him and Tubbo that it was an admin thing. Admins registered with the main server wear masks to identify them to others. It was weird, but Tommy didn’t question it. “The main server’s been trying to fix that bug for ages. I’m starting to think the gods don’t  _ want _ it fixed.”

That didn’t settle right. Why would the gods want their people to die? He gulped, suddenly wanting to change the subject. “What’s it like being an admin? You never talk about it.”

Dream could probably sense his nervousness, so he didn’t question the change in topic. “I dunno. I mean, I’ve always been an admin, it’s kind of normal to me.”

What a way to deflect a question. Well, if Tommy’s anything, it’s stubborn. “Can you really read enchanted?” He pressed. “Can you change the server’s code?”

The masked man chuckled, looking down the dark pit in his house. “Yeah, but I mostly just let things happen.” He shrugged. “I haven’t really changed the server much.”

“You shut down the end.” Tommy pointed out.

“That place is a death trap, even after the dragon is gone.” He replied, and his reasoning behind it suddenly made much more sense, with context. “End cities are dangerous too, and imagine if people were gliding around out here. Have you ever even used an elytra before?”

Once or twice, maybe. He used one when the update first came out, promptly broke a leg, and hasn’t used one since. It takes skill, he’ll admit. Sighing, he sat down next to the admin, dangling his legs over the edge. Dream tensed, as if worried he would jump down. He noted the protectiveness, but didn’t speak on it.

“You haven’t seen the news.” Dream continued. “This new update- the nether, and the one before with the ocean, it’s caused a spike in perma-deaths. The bigger servers are pretty safe, but it’s smaller servers like this one where people are dying and not coming back.”

“The gods  _ have  _ been creating a lot more mobs, lately.” Tommy agreed slowly, and now that he was thinking about it, it was strange. The new nether hogs and piglins, the different types of skeletons and zombies, the world was much more dangerous. “Why?”

Maybe the gods spoke with admins, kept them in the loop. His hope was dashed when Dream shrugged. “My suspicions are as good as yours.” He twisted to look behind him, pulling something out of a chest. Tommy almost jumped when something was placed in his lap. Diamond armor and tools, plus a shield and bow. “Stay safe out there, Tommy.”

With even more questions then he entered with, the teenager left, off to find Tubbo. He needed to get this out of his head for now, since there were no answers to be found.

For now, at least.

As he walked away, deep in thought, he didn’t notice the slight shake from the ground. No one noticed, and if anyone had, they wouldn’t know what it meant. They wouldn’t know that someone had just entered the server without being whitelisted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for 100 kudos :)

_An admin has joined the server._

Dream stared at the message blankly, confused. He hadn’t invited any other admins, had he? No admins from the main server had contacted him asking to visit. He rarely sees other admins nowadays, only when he goes out for things like the Championship. He talks to other admins even less. And why’d it say ‘an admin’ and not the person’s name?

Needless to say, he was very suspicious. 

“George, Sap, go get Punz and Eret.” Before this admin joined, they had been touching up the community house. Someone kept leaving the door open for creepers. “Meet me at L’Manburg.”

He doesn’t know if it was their own confusion or his tone of voice that kept them from asking questions. He didn’t care. That wasn’t important right now. Instead, he opened universal chat and whispered to Wilbur.

_Dream: Get your people and meet us at the front gates_

_Wilbur: Who’s this admin?_

_Dream: I don’t know_

He looked away from the chat, causing it to disappear, before climbing to the roof of the community house. If he squinted, he could see a figure appearing from the spawn box. He couldn’t make out their appearance, but he could tell one thing.

They weren’t wearing a mask.

An admin without a mask was _never_ a good sign.

He debated going out to confront the person by himself, while everyone else gathered in L’Manburg. It’d be safer for the others, but he didn’t know if they _understood_ what it meant when an admin didn’t have a mask. 

The choice was made for him when the admin suddenly disappeared, reappearing at the beginning path leading into town. He’s teleporting. He’s teleporting on _Dream’s_ server. Admin or not that shouldn’t be possible. An admin doesn’t have powers on a server that isn’t their own. The gods made it that way on purpose, how…

Dream shoves a hand into his pocket, taking out an ender pearl and throwing it as discreetly as he can towards L’Manburg. His stomach flips as he lands but he ignores it, taking a second to orientate himself before running along the blackstone walls of L’Manburg.

When he turns the corner he sees everyone currently in the server standing in a circle, posture tense and confused. Dream let out a sigh of relief he didn’t know he had, before making himself known. “Good, everyone’s here.”

“Who the fuck is that?” Tommy screeched immediately, and Dream couldn’t tell if he was playing up his concern to be funny or not. “You said this was a whitelisted server!”

“It is, that’s the problem!” Dream looked back the way he came. He doesn’t know if the other admin saw him. “It’s a rogue admin.”

Everyone froze, and the tension in the area seemed to rise. “A rogue admin?” Punz asked, voice calm, as if the news didn’t worry him. “How can you tell?”

“He wasn’t wearing a mask.” He explained. “And I saw him teleport. I don’t know how he managed to do that or why he’s here but-”

“Dream.” Wilbur cut in, fingers glowing. “He spoke in chat.”

He instinctively tensed, glancing at each person in the circle before bringing up the universal chat. After a second of deliberation, he made it so that the others could see it, so that they all weren’t looking at separate chats. Showing your personal chat is something all admins and operators can do, but it’s rarely ever done.

The chat itself was pretty empty, with only the joining message and his short talk with Wilbur. Underneath it, though, were new messages.

_The Admin: Dream_

_The Admin: I wish to talk with you, admin to admin_

_The Admin: I have a deal I want to make_

An admin deal? Dream would never make a deal with an admin he didn’t know. He rarely made deals and promises to his own friends, much less some stranger.

He took a breath to calm himself. The shock of another admin appearing was starting to wear off, thankfully. He had to act normal, or else his friends would notice immediately.

_Dream: How'd you get on this server? I never invited you_

A hand touched his shoulder, and he turned to see George next to him, eyes locked on the chat. “Try kicking him.” He suggested.

Dream nodded, and started typing again. Everyone paused in confusion as the words that came up weren’t in english. Dream didn’t notice, he’s known enchanted longer then he’s known english, and you can’t control the server without using the enchanted language. After a moment more of typing, he entered the code.

_Error- You cannot kick The Admin._

“What?” He said aloud, and started typing again, in more enchanted language. “Why not?”

_Error- You cannot kick The Admin._

“Well, that’s bad.” Sapnap muttered, hand resting on the hilt of his sword. “Maybe we can scare him away?”

_The Admin: Dream_

The new message almost scared Dream, who had to stop from jumping back. His nerves were coming back, but instead of being worried he felt… ready, almost. The feeling reminded him of his manhunts, and he unknowingly smiled.

_Dream: Get off my server_

The chat was still for a minute, and for a second, he thought the admin would actually leave. Maybe there was a misunderstanding somewhere, he wasn’t the only admin named Dream, was he? Before he could think more on it, though, the chat went off again.

_The Admin: Found you_

It took him a second to read, a second to understand, before he closed the chat and turned towards SMP land. There, standing a few yards away, was an admin he’s never seen before. He looked pretty normal, a tall man in blacks and reds with brown hair and eyes. What caught him, though, was his smile. It looked _deranged._ “Ah!” The man spoke. “There you are!”

Dream narrowed his eyes. During manhunts, his friends could go overboard with their hunter personalities, and it looked like this man’s smile, but something felt different. Nevertheless, he ignored the part of him that screamed _‘run away!’_ in favor of talking. “You aren’t welcomed here. How are you here?”

“Well I can’t answer how but I can answer why!” He raised his arms, armor clinking, and _when_ did he get full netherite? “I feel like being the top dog would get boring after a while, right? Wouldn't you like a challenge?”

“If I wanted a challenge I’d go find one myself.” Dream said, but he won't deny the fact that he’s interested. “And what don’t you get about, ‘you're not welcome here’?”

“I’ll leave after I say my piece, _Dream._ ” He didn’t like the way it sounded on his tongue. “No matter what you say, I know you. You want a challenge. You go bored otherwise. That’s why you’ll want to listen to my deal.”

Well, that’s creepy, but Dream can’t say he’s surprised. He’s an admin, and a popular one at that. You can’t beat records and fight against pros without becoming well known. Not to mention that thousands of people watch the championships, and he’s been competing in those regularly for awhile now. Is this admin just a creepy fan, then?

No, there’s definitely more to it. A rogue admin wouldn’t force his way into a locked server just to meet an idol- that’s very illegal. He must want something else, something that has to do with this deal. 

Dream’s curious. He _has_ been searching for a good challenge recently. “What’s this deal about?”

"We duel." The admin said, the corner of his mouth twitching up minutely. It felt like he had just told a joke Dream didn't understand, and he didn't like it. "If I lose, I'll leave, and I'll never come back. If I win, you'll be banned from the server _."_

_What?_

Dream blinked, shock clear even though his face was covered. Banned? That was practically suicide in this day and age! While normal respawning had a low percent chance of perma-killing someone, banning was more than half! An admin kicking someone out of the code almost always guarantees that the person's own code won't survive the ride. He would either die, or he would be locked out of his _own_ server for the rest of forever.

What was this admin's problem? _How_ was he even here?!

He can't lie, though. Dream's a cocky man, and he didn't get his ego from nothing. He won't pretend like the high stakes didn't make him giddy at the prospect. The man looked strong, but his stance wasn't that of an elite. He could take him. It did, though, give him more questions. "What is this about?" He asked. "Tell me what you want, and how you got here, and it's a deal."

"Dream-" George started, but Dream raised his hand, fingers glowing blue. With a snap of his fingers, he did something he's never done before.

He muted communications.

While that normally only stops the universal chat functions, admins can mute actual speaking too, depending on the circumstance. Only other admins can speak when everything is muted, unlike when the universal chat is muted (operators can still type then). 

It's not like he wanted to mute chat, either. It's just that his friends _definitely_ wouldn't agree with what he was about to do, especially if they understood the significance of making a deal as an admin. Luckily, they don't, but their protectiveness was bound to get in the way if he didn't do something beforehand. Even the L'Manburgians would have something to say about this. Opposite sides or not, that meant nothing once an actual threat came around.

The other admin seemed to realize what he did a few seconds later, and his grin widened. "You muted them?" His smile was too wide. "Harsh."

"Do you accept my new terms?" He ignored him, going right back to the point. He deliberately didn't look behind him- he didn't want to see the others panic and flail.

The admin's grin widened impossibly more, and he held out a hand to shake. The man seemed cocky, very cocky, and he _knew_ Dream, which meant he knew how good he was at pvp. It worried him a bit, he knew practically nothing about the man, but as long as the deal was made he could deal with the consequences later. It was a duel, a fair fight between admins that had made a deal. There was no reason to worry about underhanded tactics-

_-but something in his eyes unnerved him-_

Before he could second guess his exquisite decision making skills, Dream reached out to shake his hand. That's when a flaming arrow flew in between them. Dream stumbled back to avoid it, and a look flashed across the other admin's face for a second.

And in that split second, Dream cursed the gods above.

Because that was the face of a man who had nothing but bad intentions. A man who just had something he wanted in his grasp right before losing it. And in losing it, he turned _mad._

He had exactly one second before the admin was on him, sword out (was it _glowing?_ ) and swinging down. Dream was still stumbling backwards, so he continued the movement, falling to the ground to move away from the sword aimed at his throat. The sword kept coming though, and all he could do was cover his face and hope the sword hit armor. _Why_ didn't he have his axe and shield ready?

There was a clang of metal above him, and suddenly he was moving- being pulled back by the collar of his armor out of the way by George. Punz was the one who stopped the admin's sword, but the way he had to angle his body to block it put him at a disadvantage.

Dream was pulled up and practically pulled away from the fight, and before he could even try to move he was suddenly surrounded. The first person's eyes he caught was Wilbur, who glared pointedly and mouthed something.

Oh right. He muted communications.

His fingers glowed as he flicked his wrist, and suddenly people were shouting and grunting as they moved about. Wilbur stood still, glaring. "You _muted_ us?" It was a question, but it sounded more like a demand. "You've never done that before, what the fuck, Dream?"

"I call admin abuse!" Tommy added in, sword out and pointed at the other admin. His normal loud voice was softer than usual, and he didn't seem as confident. Dream didn't blame him- the others might not know the intricacies of being an admin, but they knew what admin banning was. They knew how dangerous it was.

"Seriously, _what are you playing at,_ Dream?" Sapnap was suddenly by his side, hands on his shoulder and eyes hard. "Admin banning? You'd risk _dying_ just to fight someone?"

The weight of what he was about to do hit him like a ton of bricks, and he gulped. "I'm a idiot."

"Yes. Yes you are." George had stepped away from the group, providing cover fire for Punz as he made his way back to them. "You're lucky we knew that and planned ahead."

Dream suddenly wanted to ask about that, but the other admin laughed, drawing his attention, and he noticed something _much_ more dangerous.

"Uh-" Tubbo was on his other side, one hand grabbing Dream's hoodie sleeve under his armor, as if to keep him there. "-whats that glowing?"

The admin's sword was glowing, but not like it was enchanted. It was white, and glowed like sea lanterns glowed- white with a tint of blue. It was glowing like that earlier, which meant he was _really_ trying to kill-

"That's an admin weapon." Dream whispered, voice suddenly gone. He can't believe an admin would actually _use_ one, would _risk_ that…

"A what?" George asked, and everyone else looked equally confused. The admin laughed again, and Dream doesn't know if the tension was because of him or the other admin.

"An admin weapon." He explained. "A weapon _made_ of enchanted code. They're tools made to help admins maintain balance on their servers. It's very powerful, and if an admin weapon kills you... it's permanent."

The silence was loud. Dream didn't like it.

The admin, of course, laughed again. "What's a duel between two admins without a little danger? Come on Dream, don't pussy out!"

George shot him a glare, as if to say 'don't even _think_ about it'. "How about you just leave instead?" Dream replied, and he saw the relief on his friends' faces. "You're not even supposed to be here in the first place!"

The admin finally frowned, and that was almost as unnerving as the grins. "Final chance." He warned.

"Fuck off!" He replied, wishing that his earlier kick had worked. His friends are going to want a long winded explanation after this, for sure.

"So be it." The admin's fingers glowed blue, and he started tapping at thin air, as if typing something in. Dream didn't know how much code he could see, being an admin but not the admin for this server. Whatever he was doing, it gave Dream a foreboding feeling.

Then the admin grinned, and to his side Dream could hear armor falling to the ground, and suddenly Sapnap was pulled away from him and next to the _admin_ and the admin weapon was at his throat and _danger_ he was in _danger_ _no no_ ** _NO-_**

Punz caught his arm, and with a surprised blink he realized he was unknowingly moving forwards. Sapnap had been teleported to the admin, who wasted no time unarming the surprised man. His armor strangely didn't teleport with him, meaning he was _very_ vulnerable. The shock on his friend's face was only now turning to panic, as if what just happened finally settled in.

"You're cheating." Dream pointed out, voice small. That wasn't what he wanted to say. He didn't want to say _anything,_ he wanted to go over there, get his friend, and then _maul_ the other admin, but he had the admin weapon right up to his throat and the admin looked absolutely _demented_ and Dream was positive he'd slit Sapnap's throat if he came any closer.

The admin was laughing, _again._ "We never made the deal, Dream." He said. "So we'll have to do this another way. You fight me, or I kill him."

Dream knew the answer to that immediately, but his friends seemed to be a bit more indecisive. Sapnap, though, spoke up immediately. "Dream _don't you dare-"_

The blade against his throat came in tighter, drawing the slightest bit of blood. Sapnap's eyes widened, before he bit his lip to hold in any noise he would've made. Dream knows how much an admin weapon hurts, how much even the smallest cut would burn and bleed-

The admin caught Dream's eyes and seemed to understand what he saw there. He chuckled. "I'll give you an hour to decide."

Then his fingers glowed blue and he tapped a few buttons and before they could react both of them were gone.

“Fuck!” Dream cursed, immediately taking out the chat and whispering to his friend. His chat was still visible to the others, but that didn’t _matter_ right now.

_Dream: Log off now!_

There wasn’t an instant reply, and there was no logging off message. Dream glared at the screen, waiting to see _something._

_How dare that admin-_

“Dream.” George’s hand was back on his shoulder, and he looked mad. Mad at Dream? Maybe, Dream didn’t know and frankly didn’t _care_ because right now his oldest friend was in danger-

_Sapnap: It’s locked_

He squinted at the message, confused. Locked? You can’t lock people inside a server. That went against multiple human rights laws. People would be swarming this server soon if it was locked like that.

But when he himself tried to log off, it wouldn’t let him.

Somehow, the admin completely closed the server. They were trapped inside with a rouge admin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are used for four things- emphasis, characters thinking, flashbacks, and words in chat. Didn't know if that would confused anyone so I just decided to write this down.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments <3 I read all of them and I'm even replying to some of them. This story is finished, btw, so updates should be regular for the most part.

“We need a plan.”

It was Wilbur who said it, and it shocked Fundy out of his state. Of course they needed a plan, they couldn’t just do nothing. Dream could give himself up (solid  _ no _ on that one) but Fundy doesn’t trust the admin farther than he could throw him. Yeah, they definitely needed a plan.

“We should probably get out of the open, first.” Eret suggested. Even though he, like Fundy, didn’t attack the admin, he was still holding his sword. “Someplace safer than here.”

“My base is close.” Tommy suggested, voice small, and Fundy’s never heard him sound like that before. Even during the war, he was always boisterous and loud. It sounded weird to hear him like this.

“That doesn’t help us get Sap back.” Dream finally spoke up. He had been staring at the chat for a few minutes now, completely zoned out of the conversation. George was still next to him, hand on his shoulder in comfort. Fundy couldn’t try imagining how he felt right now.

He’s heard of rogue admins before. The server he grew up on was pretty big. It stayed updated, which meant Fundy knew the risk of dying. The unique thing about his server was that it had two admins. The admin that made the server wasn’t ready for the amount of people that lived on it, and to lighten her load she split some of the power with another admin. She was still the main admin, but the other one helped out.

Then they turned rogue.

For a few years of his childhood, stories of the rogue admin fluttered around. They turned into monster and bedtime stories. Teachers started teaching about admins- how they’re different, how to identify them, what some of their powers are -and Fundy, being the curious kid he was, absorbed the knowledge. That’s what actually got him interested in coding.

Knowing what he does about rogue admins, though, makes him understand where Dream is coming from. He doesn’t even know the true power set of admins, but if Dream is worried then it must be bad. The other admin even managed to teleport, even though this isn’t his server. How-

Wait.

“I have an idea.” He almost shouted, and all eyes turned to him. He locked eyes with George, since Dream was wearing his mask. He could see the hopefulness in them. “That admin teleported Sapnap to him.” He explained. “We can do the same thing to get him back!”

Something akin to relief passed the man’s face, but Dream shook his head. “That’ll just annoy him. He’ll teleport Sapnap back right after he figures out what happened.”

“We’ll just lock admin commands!” Fundy continued, and he started pacing. The server he grew up on had locked admin commands. They did so after the supporting admin went rogue. It’s the best way to keep innocents from getting hurt. “We’ll teleport him back and lock commands. We won't be able to use them, but neither can he!”

“That-” George, one of the three coders there, paused. “That could work.” He turned to Dream. “Only the admin that locked the commands can unlock it, so he shouldn’t be able to do anything about it.”

“My old server locked their commands when an admin went rogue.” Fundy explained. “Come on, do we have another plan?”

“I could go fight in his duel.” Dream suggested. He didn’t seem surprised by the multiple glares pointed his way. “I’m pretty sure I can beat him, and I’m  _ not _ letting Sap take the fall for me.”

“He won’t.” Wilbur promised. “But what’s to say the admin won’t do something dirty to beat you? You’ll be gone and he’ll still be roaming the server.”

“Never trust a rogue admin.” Fundy murmured.

“He was offering me a deal.” Dream said, as if that explained everything. “It would've been fair.”

“Dream, shut up.” George grabbed the admin by the wrist and started pulling him in the direction of Tommy’s base. “No one is sacrificing themselves, the end. We’re going to get Sapnap, turn off admin commands, and then deal with this admin  _ without _ losing anyone. Got it?”

He was looking at Dream, but it was directed at everyone. Fundy didn’t know George too well, but they’ve bonded over a love of coding multiple times. Neither of them could go to Dream about coding, since the man never talked about the game code, so instead they worked together to figure things out. He was a good, kind of strange person- fantastic with a bow. He wouldn’t want to be against him.

They made their way to Tommy’s base. The place wasn’t too big, but due to the tnt holes Tommy never plugged up, the place was more spacious than it was before and there are multiple ways in and out of the base. The others left the coders alone to go fortify the place, in case the admin came back.

“Alright.” George said after he made his way to the back of the base. There was a little closet type of room in the way back, barely big enough for five people, but perfect for a little peace and quiet. “We have to be quick about this. Right after Sapnap gets here, we have to lock admin commands.”

Fundy nodded, fingers glowing blue as he opened up his chat, typing in a command that turned the screen into code. After a few minutes, he turned to the others, who were looking through their own screens. “I think I found the teleportation code, but I can’t read it all.” As a coder, Fundy knows a decent bit of enchanted, but he’s nowhere near fluent.

Dream looked at his screen, able to see it even though it was invisible for everyone else. “That’s it.” He confirmed. “And I can lock commands, but what’s going to stop the admin from just sneaking in here and killing people while we’re asleep?”

Wow, Fundy didn’t know Dream was the paranoid type. He also didn’t have an answer for that. “We could sleep in shifts.”

“Or we could whitelist the base.” George put in, still looking at his screen. He looked away when he noticed their confused stares. “What? It’s like factions, right? You lock everyone  _ but _ your teammates out of your base. There has to be a non-plugin version of that, right?”

It was silent for a second. “George.” Dream said. “You're a genius!” The admin then ran out of the room like a man on a mission. Fundy and George shared looks before following him.

“Where’s Dream going?” Tubbo asked as they left. They hadn’t been gone for long, but already the base was cleaned up, holes either filled or turned into doors, and there were now walls separating the rooms.

“Not sure.” Fundy said, before bringing out his coding screen again, hopefully making it visible for Tubbo to see. “But we found the teleportation code and where to lock the admin commands.”

Tubbo tilted his head as lines of enchanted code ran past the screen. “Where’s the code?”

Fundy, with glowing fingers, pointed at it. He went too fast though, and touched it instead.

In his many years of coding, Fundy’s never actually touched a server’s code. That was rule one when it came to coding. You can input code, but you can never touch embedded code.

And now he knew why.

Chains appeared from the screen, originating from the code he had touched. They were white, and glowed like the admin’s weapon glowed. Fundy jerked his hand away, but the chains wrapped around it anyway, moving forward like a snake to circle around the rest of his arm. The chains were extremely hot, and they were starting to burn through his clothing. He swallowed a cry of pain.

“Fundy-!” He doesn’t know who shouted, but there were hands around his waist, pulling him away, and he realized the chains were tugging  _ back, _ as if trying to suck him into the code.

_ Never touch a server’s code. _

The pain was becoming unbearable. He closed his eyes to hold back tears, when suddenly a hand grabbed onto his chained arm. The chains immediately loosened, and Fundy opened his eyes to see Dream standing in front of him. The admin’s hand was  _ in _ the screen, like it was a portal he just stuck his hand through. He batted away code until he found whatever he was looking for. Suddenly, the chains released their no longer hot grip, and Fundy fell backwards, cradling his arm close. Someone shoved a healing potion under his nose, and he drank it greedily. The burning feeling didn’t go away. “What-?”

“Those were code chains.” Dream said, in way of explanation. “They help admins keep stability on a server. If people try to mess with the code, they appear. I had to turn you into an operator to get them to let go.”

“So it’s like the admin weapon?” Eret asked, and Fundy just now realized that everyone was here. “It hurts more and takes longer to heal?”

Dream nodded. “They respond to admins, but they’re sentient on their own. You usually only see them if a mob spawns with an overpowered weapon. They wrap around whatever is harming the code and either pull them into the code or burn them to death.”

Fundy gulped.  _ Never touch a server’s code.  _ He didn’t want to look at his arm. “I’ll be fine.” He assured when Dream looked at him. Standing back up, he forced a blank face. “We’ve got more important things to worry about. You said I was an operator now?”

He knew he was shaking, he knew everyone could tell, but that wasn’t the priority right now. A burnt arm is small compared to somebody’s life. Dream seemed to understand where he was coming from, too. “Both you and George are. You can change the code without the chains appearing. I found the code George was talking about. If you teleport Sapnap here, I can lock commands while George inputs the ‘factions’ code.”

Fundy nodded, leaning against the wall. He could teleport the other while sitting down, right? 

"Hey, Dream?" George asked, voice small. "Now that I can actually _ read _ the code, what's this?"

He was pointing at the code description of the server. Dream stepped closer, scanning it and frowning. "That… that shouldn't be there."

"What is it?" Tommy asked, not being able to see it. 

Fundy tilted his head, reading the screen. "That's not our server."

“It’s not.” Dream agreed. “Someone connected our server with their own.”

“Three guesses who.” Wilbur muttered. “Is that how he got on without being whitelisted?”

Dream nodded. “Must be.” He leaned back, scratching his head. “That shouldn’t be possible, though.” He didn’t elaborate.

The chat dinged.

_ The Admin: Time's up. You have 1 minute left, Dream _

They were out of time.

"Get the code set up!" Fundy barked, pulling up his screen again. This time, the code was in English. Fundy could  _ understand _ it, for once. Was that because he was an operator now? Nevermind, it didn't matter, since  _ the clock was pretty harsh right now- _

"I'm at the commands." Dream stated. "How are you, George?"

The colorblind man was typing rapidly on his screen, glowing fingers frantic. "I can't put the code in fast enough!"

"We can go ahead without him!" Fundy said quickly, because  _ they were running out of time- _ "I'm inputting the code!"

He pressed the last needed button, and his code was inserted into the server. Seconds later, the air in the room seemed to condense as a body appeared in midair, falling on him. They both fell, and Fundy  _ screamed _ when the man fell on his burned arm.

Then he felt blood falling on his face and grew cold. "Sapnap?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Dream heard him scream,  _ saw _ the blood, but he couldn't check until the admin commands were locked. Raising a glowing hand, he reached out and grabbed the string of code that was essentially a switch for the admin commands. The code chains appeared again, wrapping around his wrists in a questioning way, wondering what he was doing.

They didn't burn, and Dream ignored them, forcing a code change through mental thought before releasing the code. Only admins could change the code that way, and while it was risky it was faster than inputting a new code and switching it out.

The code chains rubbed against his wrists as they withdrew back into the code. Dream checked it one last time before closing it and turning towards Fundy and Sapnap.

Blood. Blood and  _ code. _

Sapnap was awake, barely, but his arms were  _ covered _ in cuts, from little scratches to ones that were very worrying. All of them had little white numbers leaking out of them. Sapnap's code. Every person was made up of code, but you weren't supposed to  _ leak _ code when you get hit. That only happens when an admin weapon hits you. 

Admin weapons  _ hurt. _ And none of his injuries were fatal. This was  _ torture. _

He saw red.

"Dream-" his friend wheezed, like he was in the middle of a panic attack. Dream's anger drained immediately, and he crouched down to help Sapnap sit up. "The admin-"

"Tell me later." He interrupted, because Sapnap  _ needed _ medical attention before he bled out.

"No, I  _ can't." _ His friend's eyes were wide in panic. "I know what he wants to do, Dream. You guys  _ need _ to know."

Dream bit his lip, shifting over so Wilbur could settle next to him. The brunette gave him a health potion to give Sapnap, before rolling out gauze to wrap the bigger bleeding wounds.

When the potion didn't seem to work and the gauze disintgrated on contact Dream cursed.

"The admin weapon." He explained. "It's more resistant to healing, and his code is very volatile at the moment. It’s turning the gauze into pure code. As long as he's losing code, we can't cover up the wounds."

He dug out an enchanted golden apple, one of the only ones he had, and helped Sapnap eat it. The wounds didn't close, but the smaller ones stopped bleeding and his skin looked less pale.

The man sat up a little more, rubbing his neck. "He was about to stab me." He murmured. "The sword was swinging down and suddenly I was  _ here." _

Dream hugged him.

He let the man hold on for a moment, let him get his comfort, but he wanted to move him to a bed to let him rest. Before he could let go, though, George had joined in, and they all sat there for a few minutes, letting the man calm down. And if Dream's hoodie got a little wet, no one needed to know that.

He pulled away. "Let's get you to a bed to rest."

"Not yet." Sapnap's eyes had cleared, and while it was clear he was in pain he looked determined. "The admin- he’s a hunter.”

Dream’s eyes widened.  _ No way. _ Hunters- hunters weren’t  _ around _ anymore. At least, they didn’t travel often. They stayed in servers designated for hunting. Those servers were usually very dangerous anarchy servers, people would kill for other’s trophies often. While it wasn’t illegal to hunt hostile creatures, servers could outlaw hunting passive mobs, and hunting  _ humans _ was very illegal. When Dream does his manhunts he has to clear it with the main server admins, and the hunters he chooses aren’t allowed to fatally harm him, and vice versa. A rogue admin who was  _ also _ a hunter? “You saw his trophy room?”

Sapnap nodded. “He had a head for every mob in the game. And it wasn’t just that- he had another trophy room off to the side. There were  _ human _ heads in there.” He shifted and winced. “There were empty pedestals too- one had your name on it, Dream.”

That- that explains some things. Dream took a breath, gritting his teeth.  _ That’s _ why the admin wanted to ban him. By banning him from the server when another server was connected, he would get thrown into the connected server. The  _ admin’s  _ server. That’s to say, as long as the admin stayed away from the others, he’d figure something out. “Was there any other names you recognized?”

Sapnap nodded. “Other well known people, mostly from the Championships.” He glanced at Tommy. “Techno’s name was there, but his pedestal was empty.”

“Fuck.” The boy was staring at the puddle of blood on the floor, half dazed, but at Techno’s name he snapped out of it. “I wish we could  _ warn _ him, at least.”

Wilbur placed a hand on his shoulder. “He’ll be fine.”

“There’s more.” Sapnap cut in. “There was a room behind Dream’s pedestal. It was empty, but it was laid out the same way. I think I saw George’s name, but I’m not sure.”

_ Fuck. _ “You think he’s after the entire server?”

“He’s an obsessive hunter, I wouldn’t put it past him.” Sapnap shifted again, arm brushing Wilbur’s leg. He cried out in pain, curling into himself.

“Enough talking.” Dream decided, moving to help him stand. “You need to rest.”

Sapnap looked like he was about to make a joke, but decided against it. He flinched as he made his way up with help from Dream and Wilbur. The next time he spoke, though, his tone was serious. “Be careful, Dream.” 

They took Sapnap to a back room they had turned into a bedroom, leaving him alone for the time being. When everyone was back in the main room, again, eyes turned back to Dream. “What do we do now?”

Dream glanced at Tubbo, guilt shooting up his spine. The kid didn’t deserve to deal with this. “We won’t be able to kick the admin until we separate our servers.”

“You said it shouldn’t be possible to connect servers in the first place.” George pointed out. “How would we disconnect them?”

He didn’t know.

He did, though, have a plan. A plan that no one but him would like, but what they don’t hear about until it’s too late won’t hurt them. As an admin, it was his responsibility to protect the people on his server, no matter what. Besides, they don’t understand.

Admin deals  _ can’t  _ be broken.

There was a knock on the door.

“I believe you took something of mine.” They could hear the admin’s voice, and Dream couldn’t suppress his rage. “I’d like it back.”

He growled, marching to the door. Punz held him back. “He’s baiting you.”

“Don’t care.” He muttered. “I’m  _ not _ letting him talk about Sap like that.”

That was the problem with hunters. Many of them are psychopaths that don’t care about valuing life. Their twisted minds can’t grasp the idea that living beings are more than just trophies to take. In the beginning, before people created villages and cities, hunters were much more common. People would pay them to take out monsters or people threatening them. As civilization grew, it became more of a sport then a necessity. They started hunting things that didn’t need to be hunted, and people started shunning them. After a while, servers started banning the hunting of passive creatures, and hunters seemed to disappear.

Why one, an  _ admin, _ decided to start hunting people, he’d never understand. Hunting itself was fun, hunting humans was even better, but  _ permanently killing them? _ Never.

“I know you're in there.” The admin sang, and Dream could practically  _ hear _ his grin. “I suggest you come out. Let’s have a chat.”

Punz didn’t let go of him. Dream took a deep breath. “I think we’re good in here.” He called out. Punz nodded, satisfied, and let go. “I like talking like this more anyway.”

“You can’t get in!” Tommy added. “So fuck off!”

It was quiet. Then, “Tough talk for someone in a flammable house.” Dream heard the sound of a flint and steel striking. “We can either talk, or I can burn you all alive. Which one do you prefer?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never responded to replies as much as I am now... It's kinda fun lol. Put questions down there if you have some, and I'll answer them (unless they spoil something or the next chapter explains it).


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah ha ha ha you probably aren't gonna like this one...

When Dream was young, he knew a hunter.

There was one outside the village he grew up in. The woman was _very_ old, old enough to remember when hunters were still needed. She was retired, but the village still hired her to get rid of monsters their iron golems couldn’t defeat.

Dream loved running to her secluded house and talking to her. She was as wise as she was old, and she taught him whatever he wanted to know.

“When I was your age, I had already killed a wither skeleton.” She said one day, spooning soup into a bowl. Dream was six, maybe seven at the time, and had only ever killed a chicken when he accidently dropped a rock on it. “They were different times- everything was much more dangerous.”

“Can you help me kill a wither?” Dream had asked, eyes wide as he gulped down the soup she made. “Or a zombie? A skeleton? Can you teach me how you cook without a furnace?”

She laughed. “All in good time.” She promised. “But I doubt the village would like me taking their only admin out to the nether alone.”

His village had found out about his blessing when he was three. There was a creeper in the middle of town, and he had lost sight of his family. When the thing snuck up on him and exploded, he found himself on top of the church, 20 meters away. The village called the admin of the server to check, and the admin confirmed it. He was added to some list he didn’t really understand, and his family says he’s going away to a main server school when he turns twelve. 

He didn’t want to leave. He’d rather stay and learn from the old hunter. “What if I don’t _want_ to be an admin?!” He pouted. “I’d rather be a hunter!”

The old woman frowned. “Hunters aren’t needed nowadays. You could help more people as an admin then you could as a hunter.” When Dream’s frown didn’t go away, she continued. “You want to help people, right?”

“Yeah.” Dream nodded. “Hunters help people!”

“Hunters _use_ to help people.” The lady corrected. “All of the helpful hunters retired. The only hunters left are ones hunting for their own gain.”

When Dream was 11, he met another hunter.

He was leaving the village in a few days, and wasn’t too happy about it. He had convinced his friend, Sapnap, to go ‘camping’ with him.

And by camping, he meant running away until the village let him stay. What could they do to stop him, anyway? He can’t really _control_ when he uses his powers (it wasn’t his server anyway, he was born in it and that’s why he had the little amount of power he had-) but if he tried _really_ hard he could probably get away from whoever came to get him.

Night had just fallen, and the two were arguing over the best way to light a fire. Both boys had gotten survival lessons from the old hunter, but Dream wanted to create the fire using his powers rather than the flint and steel, just to show that he could.

“I’ve done it before!” He insisted.

“The last time you did it you burned down the inn!” Sapnap retorted, and Dream doesn’t see how that didn’t _prove_ his point- “I took the blame for that!”

“At least that was an accident!” Dream snapped. _“You_ burned down the old barn!”  
“No one was using it anyway!”

“Whatever.” Dream looked back to the fire pit, holding out his hands. “I got this. Watch.”

Nothing happened.

Sapnap laughed, shivering slightly. “What an admin you are!”

“An admin, you say?”

They both froze, thinking it was someone from the village come to get them. Out of the woods came an unknown woman. Dream didn’t recognize her in the slightest, but he did recognize the tattoo on her arm.

A hunter insignia.

“A hunter!” Dream jumped up, taking a step forward. “I’ve always wanted to meet another one!”

The woman glanced at them, taking both of them in. “You can’t make a fire?” She asked. “I thought admins could do that.”

Dream frowned. “Well, I’m not really trained.” he admitted. “And it’s not my server, so-”

He didn’t get to finish, because his attention was suddenly drawn to the curved sword pointed at his throat. Sapnap yelped. “What the hell, lady?!”

“Who was stupid enough to let two kids wander around on a server as big as this?” The woman murmured, taking a step forward. They took a step back. “Doesn’t matter now. You probably don’t know, but admins _sell_ for _a lot_ on the next server over.”

Suddenly, what the old hunter told him all those years ago made _much_ more sense.

They were fast kids, but the hunter was skilled. Dream made it five feet before a hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. Due to his age, he wasn’t really strong enough to defend himself besides thrashing about. “Let me go-”

“Dream-!” Something rammed into the hunter from behind, and she stumbled. Dream twisted out of her grip, and Sapnap grabbed his hand. In his other hand was a wooden practice sword- the only weapon they thought to bring.

They were foolish.

The hunter laughed. “I’ve never hunted humans before.” She grinned, something manic. “Thought I’d never stoop so low, but you don’t _know_ the amount of emeralds an admin could go for.”

“You’re crazy!” Sapnap picked up a rock, throwing it at the hunter. She leaned to the left, and the rock sailed past her.

“I’d run home if I were you, kid.” She growled. “I’m not here for you.”

“I’m offended!” Sapnap yelled, still holding Dream’s hand. The admin boy was frozen in shock. People… people _sold_ people? Sapnap tugged on his hand. “Come on Dream-”

The hunter lunged, grabbing his other arm before they could run. Her smile, it scared him. “To slow!” She sang.

The firepit, which the hunter stood in, exploded into flames.

Her death was quick, and the server was on an earlier version, so she probably respawned. The two didn’t wait to find out. They ran home.

  
  


Years later and Dream’s finally realized that the old hunter was an outlier when it came to hunter’s personalities.

“Shit.” He muttered, thinking up a plan. “I’ll go out and distract him. You guys switch out the wood while I’m out there.”

“You’re not going out there alone.” George stepped up. His bow appeared in his hands. “I’m coming with you.”

“I’ll go too.” Punz suggested, stepping forward as well. Dream shook his head.

“No. We need someone good at fighting in here, in case the admin tries to pull something.”

“Let me come then.” Tommy stepped up. “I promise I won’t start anything.”

Dream was against it, but they didn’t really have time to argue about it, and Tommy was stubborn. “Stay back and away from him.” He said instead, before pulling up the server code. His fingers glowed as he typed something in. When he was done, his screen switched to show the room they were all in. “I turned on spectator mode. We’re spectating Tommy right now. When you’re done switching out the wood, tell Tommy- he should be able to hear you.”

“Don’t do anything stupid.” Wilbur warned, and Dream didn’t know if it was directed at him or Tommy. He nodded anyway.

“When do I ever?” With that, he opened the door and stepped out of the whitelisted zone. The admin had moved back a bit, so he now stood on the path to L’Manburg.

He grinned, spreading his arms. “Welcome. What would you say to us making a new deal?”

“I wouldn’t be against it.” Dream replied, ignoring the look George shot at him. The man already had an arrow notched and ready. “But this time, I make the rules.”

The admin tilted his head, intrigued. “What might these rules be?”

“We duel, like you wanted.” Dream starts. “If I win, you leave and never come back, if I lose, I’ll become a part of your trophy room.”

“Dream-” George hissed, but the admin cut him off.

“That’s the same deal from before.” He said. “Nothing’s changed.”

“I’m not finished.” Dream explained. “No matter who wins the fight though, whether it’s me, you, or a tie, you cannot _,_ under _any_ circumstance, go after or harm anyone on my server. After the duel is over, you have to leave the server and never return, whether you win or lose.”

The admin frowned, and Dream hid a smile. “What else did your friend tell you about?”

“That doesn’t matter.” Dream waved it away. “Do we have a deal?”

The admin looked at George and Tommy. The former was two seconds away from releasing an arrow. With a knowing smile, he held out a hand. _“_ We have a deal. I’ll follow your new rules. _I promise.”_

_He promised._

The deal was made.

The admin took a step forward, hand still outstretched, and that’s when George released his first arrow. It caught fire midair and the admin had to duck to not be hit. “I’m _not_ letting you make that deal, Dream.” George snarled.

The admin laughed, borderline hysterical. “You idiot!” He rasped. “I don’t need to _shake his hand_ to make a deal. We _promised.”_

George’s head whipped to Dream, and the other admin couldn’t bring himself to look his friend in the eye. “You _didn’t._ ” He hissed.

“Dream you’re an idiot!” Even though neither Tommy nor George knew how important an admin deal is, they seemed to understand it was different from a normal deal. Or maybe they just knew Dream always kept his part of the deal, so they knew if he lost he wouldn’t go back on his promise. Either way, they weren’t happy.

“The adults are talking.” The admin snapped, glaring at Tommy. The boy flipped him off, and the admin growled, taking a step towards him.

Dream immediately got in his way, sword extended. “Your fight is with me.”

The admin grinned, “Indeed it is.”

Another thing about hunters. They’re _good._ No matter their age, hunters are excellent fighters. The last time he fought a hunter he was lucky to get away as easily as he and Sapnap did. This time, admin commands were locked, and he hasn’t accidentally used his powers in years.

There was nothing he could do but win fairly.

The admin attacked first with his admin weapon, immediately going on the offensive. Dream took out his shield, blocking the first attack and ducking under the next, swinging his own sword up and over. The admin parries it, planting a foot on his shield and pushing him back.

Dream dug his heels in to stop himself, steadying his shield hand (he was shaking, the rush was a blessing _and_ a curse-) before attacking before the admin could, pushing him into a defensive form. The admin blocked his sword, and Dream slammed his shield into the man's foot. The admin shifted back just in time to miss it, twisting his sword to rake against Dream's face. He falls back, barely missing the tip of the blade.

It continues like this for another minute. To Dream's horror, they're eveningly matched. Dream doesn't have an axe, so he's not playing to his strengths, but the admin doesn't have a shield, so it evens out. 

Even though it was even, he still wasn't worried. When it comes down to it, the person with the better endurance wins. And Dream's endurance is one of the best.

The admin seemed to realize this too. He attacked harder and faster, causing Dream to go completely on the defensive. He's just waiting for the man to make a mistake, to give him an opening-

The admin swings low to his shield side, and Dream goes to block it when something latches onto his wrist and yanks his hand back. With no shield to block, the admin weapon slices through the meaty part of his thigh. Immediately his jeans are soaked in blood, and the code that leaks out is enchanted.

Dream stumbles back, keeping silent even though the pain was borderline unbearable. How was he even _standing_ right now? He _knows_ he blocked so how-

He turns to look at his shield hand and freezes. Code chains were wrapped around his wrist, floating up from the ground and pinning his arm. _That's_ why he dropped the shield.

Dream snarled, grabbing the chains with his free hand. The chains immediately let go, apologizing promptly and disappearing. _Of course,_ code chains don't go away when admin commands are locked, and since the server thinks he's the correct admin, they respond to him. "You bastard-"

The admin laughed, cutting him off. "It was getting boring." He grinned, twirling his admin weapon. He now held Dream's shield in his other arm.

He now has the advantage.

Dream shifted, going back into a fighting position, before stumbling. This time he couldn't fight back the pained gasp- his entire body felt like it was off centered. He was an admin, admin weapons aren't as effective on them as they are on regular people, but it still hurt like _hell_.

_How did Sapnap feel?_

That sole thought was the reason why Dream could get back up. This guy _tortured_ his friend, he's _not_ getting away with that!

The admin came in again, the force pushing Dream back to one knee. He held his sword over him as the admin kept the pressure on. There was _no way_ he could get back up- his arms felt like jelly and his leg was _screaming_ at him. He was stuck there, and the admin seemed to realize that since he was smirking again.

Suddenly, the man hissed, jumping back. Dream looked just in time to see him pulling a flaming arrow out of his shield arm.

"Your friends are breaking the rules of the duel." The admin snapped, glaring at George, who already had another arrow ready.

"You cheated." George growled back. A hand wrapped around Dream's arm, and Tommy helped pull him back to his feet, handing him a useless healing potion. The boy was shaking. "The duel is already void."

That didn't have the effect he's sure George wanted. The admin laughed. "I'm a patient man, I can wait. But in the meantime-" he pointed his sword at George.

"No!" Dream immediately cut in, jumping to stand in front of George. He hoped no one saw him stumble. "You can't. The promise-"

"I'm allowed to defend myself." The admin said, and the next time he looked at Dream his smile was _sinister._ "And those rules are only for _after_ the duel. If they attack me beforehand I can kill them, no problem."

He took a step forward, and George fired again. This time, the admin sliced the arrow in half. Then, he was on Dream again, slamming into him with his own shield to disorient him. Dream knew that move well (he's used it himself multiple times-) and rolled with the blow, falling back and ducking under his shield.

When fighting someone, you learn their strengths pretty quickly. The admin is fast and agile, something that's hard to be when you have a shield. Taking away Dream's shield was a good move, but using it himself was less so. Dream sliced into his side as he jumped back, only managing to graze the man instead of skewering him.

That's when Tommy got him from behind.

It wasn't the best, but Dream didn't blame the scared kid. He got the admin in the flesh part of his right armpit, going clean through. It wasn't fatal but it probably hurt _a lot._ The admin immediately whipped around, swinging his weapon and Tommy yelped and ducked away.

"And you call me a cheater!" The admin cackled. "Three against one?!"

"The duel is null!" Dream retorted, even though he's not completely sure himself. "It was null the moment you pulled out the code chains."

"No." The admin shook his head. "The duel is still ongoing. We just have to even the playing field."

He raised a glowing hand, and something besides him grabbed his arm. Before he could look and see, the thing pulled him to the nearest tree, pinning him in place. Code chains wrapped around his waist, locking his arms in place and effectively trapping him. He couldn't touch the chains. _He couldn't tell them to stop._

"What-" Dream pushed against the tree, but the chains just got tighter. "What the hell-?"

"2 against 1 is much more fair, don't you think?" The admin was much too close for comfort. He brought his blade up to rest under Dream's chin, and Dream ignored the burning the weapon caused. "Don't worry, I'll be with you soon."

Another arrow. The admin jumped back, before darting towards George. The archer pulled out a sword to block, but Tommy got in the way, fending him off for him. He switched back to his bow and started spam firing, just to put some distance between them all.

Does his bow have infinity? It must. He'd run out of arrows soon if it didn't.

 _This was a hunter. Hunting his friends. And he's just_ **_watching._ **

Dream struggled against the chains, tried getting their attention, but the sentient strings of code were silent. How did the admin even get them to respond? Dream didn't even know they could _do_ this.

There was a lull in the spam fire. The admin took his chance, rushing up and swinging down. George didn't have time to take out a weapon, so he used his bow to block it.

It saved his life, but the bow broke in half.

The admin grinned, before kicking the man in the stomach. The force threw George into the wall of Tommy's base, and he fell to the ground. The admin turned to Tommy, not bothering to give the kid time to prepare.

Tommy wasn't bad at fighting, but he was out of his league here. The admin pushed him back quickly. The boy stumbled.

_How does he get out of this? There has to be a way-_

_There is one way…_

Tommy blocked the next attack from the ground. The admin switched targets and dearmed him. There was a single chuckle before he was swinging down in a fatal arch.

Time seemed to slow down.

_He had to._

A weapon appeared in Dream's hand, and he twisted his wrist, cutting the chains in one cleave. Wasting no time, he dove in front of Tommy.

The sword cut across his torso.

For a second, there wasn't any pain. Then his mind caught up to his body and _oh my god it was too much-_

He crumpled immediately, and he heard Tommy scream. The pain almost immediately became disassociating, and Dream gasped, hiccuping. He didn't allow any more sounds to leave, though. He wouldn't give the admin the pleasure.

_First Sapnap, now Tommy?_

Faster than he thought possible, his pain turned into rage.

The adrenaline, thankfully, kicked in, and he stood up slowly. His chestplate was destroyed (the admin weapon destroys whatever it touches-) and his hoodie was ruined. His mask, though, was fine.

He wished it wasn't, just so the admin could see how much _he fucked up._

He brought forth his weapon again and pointed it at the admin. It wasn't his sword, no- it was an axe. A white axe that glowed blue like code.

"You're not the only one with an admin weapon." He muttered, and while his voice was steady his body was failing it. It didn't matter, he just had to hold on until the others were done.

He raised his axe and charged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I've seen some comments about this so I gotta say it- neither Techno or Schlatt is the admin. The admin is a random OC I made up to play the bad guy. I wouldn't make Techno a crazy perma-killer anyway... Heh... No I totally wouldn't do that...
> 
> ANYWAY, adrenaline is a powerful thing. The body, when in fight or flight, will completely disregard pain until the person in pain is somewhere safe enough to deal with it. That wound would've killed Tommy, the reason why Dream is still alive is because he's an admin. That doesn't mean that he's in the clear, though. The adrenaline is keeping him going, for now.


	6. Chapter 6

He had another encounter with hunters on an anarchy server at 15. He and a few more older admins were checking out a black market where people on the inside told them humans were being sold. Not just humans, but admins.

And Dream, even though he was  _ much _ too young to be there, demanded to go.

His encounter with the female hunter a few years back was unknown to everyone but him and Sapnap. He wouldn't tell anyone about that for years to come (it was George, one night when Dream invited him and Sapnap to kill the ender dragon with him. They'd never done it before, and Dream created his first server so that they could. He doesn't remember why they told him, it just came out). The secret still weighed on his mind, and as he stumbled past stalls holding rabbit feet and zombie heads, or the occasional live being, he wondered if this would've happened to him if not for his powers.

The anarchy server was of decent size, and thus required an experienced admin to create and run it. Said admin was leading them to an auction block. The server had a disguise add-on, and Dream had to stop himself from feeling his face. The normal bumps and curves weren't there anymore, and that didn't match to how he felt about the other admins. He knows that isn't their actual faces, but he's  _ never _ seen them without masks on before, it was  _ weird. _

"Here we are." The server admin, a man going by the name 'Dots' stepped to the side. He looked at the three other admins, eyes stopping at Dream. "Even with the disguise he looks young."

Dream was about to retort when another admin stepped in. "I've seen multiple children running around."

That was a sad truth. Children born on anarchy servers almost always live their entire lives there. There are a few servers dedicated to housing children like that, but if they're not found they stay here forever.

The server admin stared at him, eyes knowing, before shrugging. "We'll say he's my son and I'm showing him the ropes, if anyone asks. You two are his bodyguards."

Dream wondered for a second why a kid would need bodyguards, before remembering that he's on an anarchy server and  _ anything goes _ on an anarchy server. He shivered.

They entered the auction. The entire thing was actually pretty normal looking, and Dream might've confused it for a normal auction if one guy hadn't got upset and killed someone else for losing a bid. The stuff they were selling was gross (zombie teeth, wither skeleton heads, enderman arms-) but it wasn't anything illegal.

Halfway through the auction a man came up to them and started talking to the server admin. After a few laughs, the man turned to the others. He frowned at Dream. "You brought a kid?"

He was really getting tired of being reminded of his age.

"This kid could whoop your ass." One of the admins murmured, and Dream smirked, proud. He was at the top of his pvp class, and he was proud of it. "Are you the informant he mentioned?"

The man grinned, but Dream could see a new nervousness there. "I'm your ticket in deeper."

He led them to a back door, nodded at the security guy there, and took them to a basement.

While the people upstairs could pass for regular passerbys, those downstairs could  _ not. _ Dream's never seen so many injuries before. Not a single person down there had a clean, scarless face, and some were bleeding as they talked to those around them. Most of them had hunter insignias. On stage, the auctioneer had a chained villager up for sale.

Villagers were rare nowadays. They were endangered in multiple servers, and they were passive. This wasn't illegal, but it was cruel.

"Ah, Dots!" A burly woman stepped forward, slugging an arm around the server admin's shoulder. "Just in time! The new stuff is up in a few."

Dream blinked. That was the code, the code that meant it was time to get to work. Did the lady say that on accident or was she on their side?

Judging by Dots' smile, it wasn't an accident. "Where are they keeping the goods nowadays, anyway?"

The burly woman smirked. "Same as always, down the hallway on the left." She turned to them. "They like letting us see the goods so we know what we want to buy. They're keeping these items behind the blue door, though."

She turned away, back to Dots, and manifested a shield. Dream narrowed his eyes, confused, but realized she did that to hide the fact that Dots' fingers were blue, and he had code open.

_ You have been made an operator by the server admin. _

_ You have been vanished by the server admin. _

Dream paused, raising his hands before realizing that was stupid, he'd still be able to see it because he was  _ vanished, _ not  _ invisible _ . A man walked right through him, and the server admin winked at him.

It was go time.

He slipped through the door to the left and deliberately kept his eyes down. He's pretty sure the blue door was locked, but since he was vanished he slipped through with no problems.

The room was dark, with a little window of light shining through. He had to squint to adjust his eyes. After a few moments, he could make out three people chained in the middle of the room. Two teenagers his age and someone who couldn't be older than four.

He felt sick for a second.

But then he realized he didn't have  _ time _ for this. "Hey." He whispered, and the three jerked up from their half asleep daze. "I'm vanished, but I'm right in front of you. I'm an admin, I'm here to get you out."

"You're just here for your own." One of the teenagers narrowed their eyes. "The admins don't care about the rest of us."

Dream would like to deny that, but he knows a lot of admins care less if an admin isn't involved. He wished he could change that.

_ You are no longer vanished. _

He waited for the three to take him in, realizing that his age might help convince them. "I can't deny that, but I  _ am _ here to help you,  _ all _ of you. I don't even know which one of you is the admin."

The other teenager shifted towards him. He looked at the chains around his wrists. "They're made of obsidian." He murmured. That meant he didn't have enough time to break them the normal way.

Sighing, he brought out his admin weapon. "Stay still." With a clean sweep, one chain cracked and broke in half. The little kid whimpered in fear, curling up to hide herself. The two teens shrugged, as if she's been like this since she got here.

He freed the older two, before getting to work showing the little girl that he wasn't there to hurt her. It took him a few minutes he didn't have to spare to do it, but eventually the girl turned to him. "I want my mommy."

Dream's heart ached. "Where is your mommy?"

The girl looked at him. Her bottom lip wobbled, before she started bawling, running into his chest and holding on like it was the last thing keeping her alive.

Dream saw a block in the corner of the room get replaced with water as she sobbed. He pretended not to notice.

Twisting his wrist, he sent his axe through the little window to the outside world. Putting the admin weapon back wherever it went when not in use, he shuffled through his pockets before pulling out two invisibility potions. He handed them to the two teens. "Drink these and get out. If you want out of the server, meet me at the town square. If you don't, run as far away as possible."

The suspicious boy narrowed his eyes again. "You admins would just let us leave? I thought you guys took all admins you see."

"We do." Dream shrugged. "But neither of you are admins, are you?"

The door handle wiggled as someone put the key in. Dream's hands turned blue as he inputted a teleportation code. The two teens looked at each other before chugging the potions, disappearing.

The door opened. Dream caught the woman's eye before he disappeared, taking the little girl with him.

_ It was the same hunter from before, all those years ago. _

  
  


He doesn't know if it was the adrenaline or his anger that was working in his favor right now. While he hadn't landed any fatal blows on the admin, he had nicked him several times with the admin axe.

The admin couldn't land any blows, either. Whenever he got close George or Tommy were suddenly there, blocking and pushing him back. He couldn't use the chains, either, since Dream cut them with his axe. It was a stalemate, but one leaning in favor of  _ them. _

Then Tommy jumped, startled. He caught Dream's eye and nodded.

_ The base was ready. _

He grabbed George's arm, the adrenaline dampening the pain. "Fall back."

Instead of doing what he said, George glanced at Tommy before moving in front of him. Tommy grabbed Dream's hoodie sleeve, pulling him back to the base door, leaving George to bring up the rear.

The admin didn't follow them, though. "The duel continues." He laughed. A gash on his cheek had blood dripping down his chin. "I can still burn down your base, y'know."

Try burning down stone, Dream thought, and see where  _ that _ gets you.

He heard a door opening behind him, felt the difference of his feet hitting stone, but he never looked away from the admin. Not until the door closed behind them.

Then it all went blurry.

"That looks bad." He thinks it was Wilbur who said that, or maybe Wilbur was who was helping him sit down. It might've been Tubbo then, since no one else had hair like that. He blinked, but his vision didn't clear.

There was a pain in his chest. Was his adrenaline wearing off? Oh yeah, it must be that. At least it was a slow process-

Someone took his hoodie off, irritating the wound in the process. Dream saw white.

Suddenly the room was in chaos, people running around like headless chickens as someone shouted orders. He thinks someone screamed- was it him? Someone was holding his hand, even though he's  _ sure _ he's breaking it with the amount of force he's using. There might of been fingers in his hair too, as if trying to calm him.

Wait.

Was the panic about him?

"I-" he tried to talk, tried to swallow, but it went down the wrong pipe. He started coughing, which  _ didn't _ help his case. "I'll be fine. Just… just need some… sleep."

The buzzing in his ears seemed to clear as someone called for quiet. George appeared in his vision. "You idiot." He hissed. "You selfless  _ idiot." _

Dream couldn't help but laugh. "You love me." He teased. "Besides-" he coughed again, his throat still irritated. "I'll survive this. Tommy... wouldn't of."

"Dream." Wilbur spoke up, inspecting his wound. "Dream, this is bad. I don't- I don't know-"

He laughed again, and it sounded manic. "I'll be fine. I just... need to sleep some."

Wilbur's face shot up to his, as if he just heard something terrifying. "No-"

But Dream was already gone.

  
  


It was dark when he woke up. Dark and  _ quiet. _

He frowned, looking around. He had been placed in the back, where Sapnap was sleeping before, but his bed was empty. Unmade too, which wasn't abnormal but one of them had to be a neatfreak, right?

Slipping out of bed was  _ much _ harder than he thought it would be. His ruined hoodie sat on a table next to him, and he quickly put it on, relishing in the extra warmth it provided. He winced, before flinching harshly, both moves irritating his still bleeding wounds. He's lucky his under shirt is black, even though that didn't hide much when there was a cut from shoulder to hip through it. He couldn't even change if he wanted to, without ruining another shirt.

But did that really matter right now, because _ where is everyone? _

He heard a door to the outside close. He peeked out into the main room to see if anyone was there. It was empty.

_ They left. Why? _

He had a few guesses.

He made his way to the backdoor, where he heard the sound of the door closing. By this view, all he could see were the woods to the side of the base.

A flaming arrow stuck out of a tree.

_ George. _

With no real thought of preservation, he stumbled forward, calling out his admin weapon. As he got closer, he could see blood on the ground and ripped fabric.

There was a white strip of cloth hanging off a tree a little far in. It was much too familiar to Dream.

He picked up the pace, stumbling as fast as he could. If he tried, he could pick up the sounds of  _ something. _ A fight? Screams? Or was that just his own demented mind?

Another flaming arrow, this time in the middle of an open clearing. He made his way over to it, pulling the arrow up and examining it. The clearing was empty of everything else.

This was a trap, wasn't it? Who is he kidding,  _ of course it is. _

He blew the arrow out and looked a little closer. These weren't George's arrows. He was probably safe, along with the others. He sighed in relief.

"You don't seem too concerned."

"Why would I be?" Dream responded, eyes darting around. He could hear the admin, but he couldn't see him. "You have to trick an injured guy to beat him in a fight."

"Oh, this won't be a fight." The admin chuckled, voice echoing. "We already dueled. You lost."

Dream snorted, but didn't contradict him. He obviously hasn't, or else the admin deal would've come to fruition. Instead, he asked a question. "How'd you hide the others from me?"

There was a laugh. "The vanish command is a nifty little thing, don't you agree? Not only can people not hear or see you, but if  _ you're _ vanished other vanished people can see you too! You wouldn't even know if you didn't look at chat. Not to mention that it's a command you can allow operators to do- and if operators can do it then it's not an admin command, is it?"

Dream wanted to be angry, but he was just tired. "Why are you doing this?"

"Don't pretend like you don't like the thrill of the hunt, Dream." The admin scoffed. "Don't lie to yourself."

"I'm not." Dream replied. "I do, but you don't have to  _ kill _ to have fun."

"But playing against the same people gets boring. Why not instead join the big leagues?" There was a dark chuckle, and Dream couldn't pinpoint it at all. "And if you're going to hunt the best of the best, don't you want proof of doing it?"

This man was  _ insane.  _ "You need help."

"I  _ need _ better trophies." The admin corrected. "I thought you'd understand."

"You're a danger to my friends." Dream snarled. "I don't fucking _ care _ about your feelings."

"Hush now." The voice was right behind him, an arm wrapped around his waist. "Trophies don't talk."

Something heavy and hard cracked against the back of Dream's head. His vision went white before going black.


	7. Chapter 7

George met Dream first, by two whole minutes. The younger admin ran into him at the server he was helping code plugins for.

"Your code is wrong." He had said, sitting right next to him as he worked. His color correction goggles told him his eyes were green, along with his hoodie, but the color was hard to look at.

George had scoffed. "Like you could do better." Dream had then corrected him on his code so surely that George realized he  _ had  _ to have been able to read it. "You're an admin, aren't you?"

That's when Sapnap appeared. "It didn't work!" He hissed. Several people appeared around the corner, all holding swords. "Run!"

And, for some reason, Dream had grabbed his arm and pulled him with them.

That was the start of their friendship.

George learned about their hunter encounter a few months later. Dream had created his first server. They were on it now, and they planned to kill the ender dragon- something none of them had done before.

It was night, and they were sitting in the small shack they had created to stay the night. It was cramped- they were all pressed against each other, limbs entangled due to space and for warmth. At this point, none of them were sure of themselves when it comes to their skills. They didn't want to risk it when all they had was stone tools and a complete iron set between all of them.

They were telling stories, Sapnap and George, since Dream had fallen asleep. Another reason why they had paused for the night- creating the server had taken a lot out of him. Sapnap was telling a funny story about his childhood when Dream started shifting between them, tossing in place and muttering under his breath. The two shared a glance before Dream gasped, shooting straight up and opening his eyes.

"Dream?" George asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Dream squeezed his eyes shut. "Just- bad memories."

That's when he learned about the hunter who tried to kidnap him.

He himself had never seen a hunter- never dealt with one. He knew of the elder hunter the two grew up with, but he's never heard of the  _ other _ one. He was appalled. No wonder he had nightmares. He said they weren't common, but it was still bad he even  _ had  _ them.

He talked about it to Sapnap after Dream fell back to sleep. "I don't know what would've happened if Dream hadn't started the fire." He admitted. "He told me he saved an admin from an anarchy server while at the academy -he saw  _ her _ there, too- but I don't think either of us knows what would've happened if she actually took him away."

What could you even  _ do _ with an admin? He guessed you could brag, but anything else? He didn't know, but the thought still scared him.

They killed the ender dragon, but Dream had to cheat, teleporting Sapnap when he fell off the edge and George when he couldn't get away from the endermen. They still counted it as a complete win, with bragging rights included, but George couldn't get over what he had been told. He's sure both Dream and Sapnap had mostly gotten over the experience, but the idea of hunters hunting you for something you can't control rubbed him the wrong way.

  
  


George used to wish he could code coal into diamonds. He wished he could snap things into existence, like admins suddenly did. He wished he could have power.

Right now he just wished he could help his best friend.

After Dream passed out, Wilbur immediately went crazy in worry. Dream's body didn't disappear or turn into code, though, so they all calmed down and carried him to the back room filled with beds.

"Hey-  _ what happened?" _ Sapnap was up and shocked, slipping out of bed to crouch by Dream's. He immediately took the unconscious admin's hand, and George didn't know if that was to comfort Dream or himself. He couldn't say anything, he still had Dream's other hand in his own.

"What do you think?!" George snapped, before immediately feeling guilty. Sapnap shot him a glare laced in understanding, and George bit his lip, looking away.

_ Another hunter… _

"This is strange." Wilbur murmured as he watched the man. "Like Sapnap, he's losing a lot of blood, but he isn't going pale as fast as he should be, for the size of the cut."

"Is it an admin thing?" Eret asked, concerned, and Wilbur shrugged.

"I'm not sure." He admitted, before turning back. "Tommy, Tubbo, get some regen potions- I'm setting up a makeshift IV."

George blinked, and IV? He's only heard of those. A mix of several different potions funneled into you while unconscious to help you stay alive. They only have that stuff in the main server. Wilbur knew how to make it?

A few minutes passed in silence. They only started talking again when Wilbur drained the last potion bottle. "It's not helping the wound, but it  _ is _ replenishing blood. It's scabbing over, but it's still leaking- I don't understand."

None of them did. George gritted his teeth in frustration.

That's when Punz ran in from the front room. "He's back."

George was the first to rush over, anger setting his skin ablaze. Soon, everyone else followed, leaving Dream in peace to sleep.

The admin was there, outside the door. He had broke a window so they could hear him. Behind him, the sun was almost completely behind the skyline. It was officially evening.

George glared. "What do you want?"

The admin laughed,  _ that damn laugh- _ "I think I've made it pretty obvious." He said. "My trophy room is missing it's star pieces. I planned to have you all, but due to my new deal I'll have to settle for just Dream."

His blood was boiling. He talks about George's  _ friend _ like that, how dare- "You sick bastard." Sapnap growled. "You hunt your own kind?"

The admin laughed. "My own kind? What, you mean you  _ humans? _ Or are you talking about other admins? Admins, always weighed down by their  _ rules _ and  _ principals. _ No, I'm not hunting my own kind, because I'm not a human or an admin. I'm a _god."_

George scoffed, disbelieving in his grandiose vision. Tubbo spoke up before he could, their voice small. "How many… how many people have you killed?"

His next smile was sadistic. "Hundreds. Hundreds of  _ nobodies. _ It gets boring, doing the same thing over and over. Admins aren't even a challenge anymore." He hefted his netherite sword. "And when nothing is challenging, you go to the next level."

If George had his bow, he'd stick an arrow in his eye socket. "You're a twisted man pretending to play god."

"Pretending?" He asked with a smirk. "I've been  _ blessed, _ darling. You can't be more of a god then that."

Whatever God blessed him made a  _ mistake. _ "Just give up!" Tommy yelled. "You're not winning this!"

"I think I am." The admin chuckled. "Right now, everything's going exactly to plan."

A skeleton appeared a few feet away. It raised its bow and fired, hitting the man right through the stomach.

He disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Tubbo asked, but George was starting to get a sinking feeling in his gut. He turned on his heel and ran back to where they had Dream sleeping.

His bed was empty.

He screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking about uploading twice tommorow since this is short and tommorow is Sunday. Tell me what you think.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruh I forgot to tag Phil smhhhhh.

When Sapnap was 16, he left the server he grew up on to go find his old friend. It was a quiet farewell- the village could tell the day was coming. They sent him on his way with enough food to feed a small village, and Sapnap didn’t have the heart to remind them that when he left the server, the food would be left behind.

He doesn't really like the space in between servers. It always left him dizzy and confused. His teacher said that it was because normal people shouldn’t be outside a server- a person’s code doesn’t like it. The teacher then went on to say that admins and gods could cross through with no problem, and Sapnap threw a wad of paper at the back of Dream’s head in jealousy.

He always thought that at some point, the confusion of being outside a server would make him accidentally pick the wrong server- but something about the main server always called to him, so he never had trouble switching there.

The first thing he always thought whenever he entered was just how  _ big _ the server was. It made sense- it was the only server being powered by the  _ gods, _ not the admins. The server could never die, unless the gods die. Rumor has it that the world is  _ actually _ infinite, and you could keep walking forever. There’s always new things to see and people to meet.

Sapnap brushed himself off, checking his inventory. He had on leather armor from the last time he was here, and he’s  _ very  _ happy food doesn’t rot when you exit a server, since the pumpkin pie in his pocket looked delicious. He nibbled on it as he made his way to the academy.

He had been there once before, when Dream sent him an invitation to visit. Now he was back again, because his friend was graduating and he had a plan.

And when Dream has a plan, you’re going to want to see what happens.

The first thing he noticed was the mask. “What’s with the smiley face?”

Dream shrugged. “Dreams are good, right? They make you smile.”

Sapnap had laughed. “You just look like a creep, dude.”

It was like nothing had even changed.

Dream graduated, and around the other admins he acted cold and haughty, but the moment they turned their backs Dream was whispering jokes and teasing him like he hadn’t changed at all. He definitely had- Sap could see it in the way he held himself, how he spoke and how he saw things. He was also an  _ excellent _ fighter- when they were young they almost always tied. Now he barely ever won against the admin.

There was an after party that both were invited to, but before Sapnap could even express his opinion on it Dream was dragging him the other way. “You wouldn’t like it.” He said when Sap complained. “Besides,  _ I have a plan.” _

That plan included going onto another server to go treasure hunting. Except for the fact that they didn’t have money in that world to  _ afford _ the map, so instead of leaving they decided to steal it instead. They could be sneaky if they wanted to.

It didn’t work.

Surprisingly, that’s how they met George.

It was after they found (cough _ kidnapped _ coughed) their new friend that he asked Dream why they were really doing this. Not that it wasn’t fun (he loved being chased by the law, and it’s not like this server was important to him) but Dream seemed  _ very _ against staying on the main server any longer then he had to.

“Just got annoyed, I guess.” Dream murmured, poking the fire they started with a stick. Their new friend ( _ captive _ ) muttered in his sleep, shifting to his side. “Admins aren’t as nice as they like to pretend they are.”

He said that, but he was still wearing the mask the admins gave him for graduating. Sapnap wondered what they had been teaching him for the last six years, to make him feel that way. “C'mon man, there more to this. We just stole a valuable map and kidnapped a random guy-”

“-We did  _ not _ kidnap him-”

“Dream.” He looked at the mask, at where his eyes would be, and spoke sincerely. “Dude, I’m cool with this. I’ll do this a hundred more times if you want to, but  _ why _ does it feel like you're running from something?”

The masked admin stared at the floor. “I’m just-” He paused, as if trying to find his words. “I’m just not sure admins do more good than harm.”

  
  


George didn’t even need to scream for him to know what happened.

“He went out the back door!” He yelled, and rushed towards it. When he went to open it, though, he winced, sharp pain scaling down his arms. A hand pulled him back, and Punz pushed past him. 

The man opened the door and ran out, looking around. “I don't see either of them.” He called back.

Wilbur cursed. “You heard the admin!” He snapped. “He got what he wanted, he’s going to  _ leave _ and if we don’t find them now we  _ never _ will!”

The others started arguing over where they might be, but Sap zoned them out, eyes focused on George. He had dropped to his knees, staring at the empty room like he had seen a ghost. Sapnap sat down next to him, laying a hand on his shoulder in silent support. Support  _ he _ needed right now, too.

“There was no death message.” George whispered like it was a prayer. “He’s fine he’s fine he’sfinehe’sfinehe’sfine  _ he’s fine-” _

Sap shushed him, but the man made a good point. No death message, so unless the admin took him to the other server and killed him, he's still alive.

The other server…

“They’re going to the other server.” Sapnap spoke up, drawing their attention. “And I know where the servers connect.” The admin had unknowingly shown him. “It’s at spawn.”

“Teleporting is off.” Fundy muttered. “They’ll have to walk, and Dream’s  _ hurt. _ They’ll be slow- we could catch up to them, before he separates the servers.”

“We can’t just go in unprepared though.” Wilbur added in. “We have to bring supplies- medical supplies, at least. Fundy-” He whipped his head around, eyes light with ideas. “Can you summon a shulker box?”

And suddenly the base was in organized chaos. Eret ran out, sprinting to his castle to get more potions. Tommy and Tubbo did the same, but instead ran to L’Manburg. Punz muttered something about golden apples and was gone. Fundy had his screen up again, searching through code to find the right thing to type in. He groaned in frustration, and that’s when George (who was apparently feeling better) got up, walking over to the screen. His voice was hollow when he spoke. “This.”

Fundy squinted. “That’s the name for a shulker box?”

“A red one.” George nodded. “See, you can tell by-”

Sapnap stopped listening, getting up to rummage through Tommy’s chest for anything useful. He had a decent amount of food on him, and Sapnap stored in it his inventory for later.

“I know potions don’t help with the admin weapon, but they’re still important to have.” Wilbur was saying, as if talking to himself. He held out his fingers, tapping them as if making a mental list. “Everyone should have two potions on them, and at least five apples. I have wrapping on me and Tubbo knows where I keep the medical supplies, what about-”

That’s when Fundy whooped in delight and a red shulker box slammed into the ground in front of him. George yelped, jumping back and Wilbur jumped forward, opening in a rush. He blinked, surprised for a moment. “This is bigger than I thought it would be.”

Sapnap’s never used a shulker, so he understood the feeling. It was the size of a normal chest, so it made sense. There was only one, though, so if they got split up only one group could use the shulker. “We should only put non essentials in here.” He said. “That way if something happens we’re not dependent on whoever has the shulker.”

“Yeah.” George agreed. “Stuff like extra food and weapons, maybe gauze and extra potions.”

It was settled. They waited in tense silence for the others to return, and when they did neither Sapnap or George gave them enough time to organize, saying they could  _ after _ they had joined the other server. Luckily Eret had thought of grabbing ender pearls, and with them the group cut the time it took to get there by half.

Once they made it to the spawn box, Sapnap paused. "There's going to be a door right in the middle of the box." He explained. "You won't feel nauseous or anything going through, but make sure you go straight left once you come in." He remembered there being a lone corridor when he first went through. That could be a good place to re-establish themselves.

He shouldn't really be the first one going through, due to his healing arms, but he was the only one who's been before, and he doesn't want someone else ( _ like George- _ ) running in and immediately gunning for Dream with no plan in sight. Before someone else could take the lead, he made his way inside the spawn box. It was a spruce door that glowed white, and he wasn't sure  _ why _ it was spruce besides the fact that spruce was the biome they were in.

Did the door type matter? No. Stop thinking about it, now's not the time-

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he opened the door. It immediately shook, which it  _ didn't _ do last time.

"He's separating the server." Sapnap guessed. "Come on!"

He dove through.

_ Which was stupid of him. _

What was he thinking, diving through the door? He landed on the ground on the other side. Instinctively, he held out his hands to catch him, which meant  _ white hot pain ow-! _

Scrambling up, he moved to the side as George came running after him, followed by the others. He's not sure if everyone made it, he was too busy making his way over to the corridor he mentioned earlier. The lone hallway had several doors coming off of it, and Sapnap picked the first empty storage room he found, beckoning the others towards him. Once they all followed, he closed the door behind him.

He let out a breath of relief when he saw that everyone was there. It was almost immediately replaced with a wince, because  _ ow, that fell hurt! _

Another tremor shook the ground. Fundy opened up his screen and frowned. "We disconnected." He confirmed. "I can't read the code anymore."

George pouted, glancing at Sapnap to make sure he was okay before pulling up his own screen. "I still remember where I found the code- I might be able to tell what server we connect to next."

Tommy perked up from where he was helping Wilbur. "We'll be able to tell who he'd going for next." He wilted almost immediately. "Unless it's a popular server like Hypixel."

"We could also find Dream while he's out." George added in, and Sapnap liked that idea, even though the others seemed not to.

"I brought some invisibility potions so that we could look around." Eret murmured. "But I don't know if snooping when he's out hunting is smart. We should focus on helping whoever he's going for next."

George grumbled something, and Sapnap sighed, understanding the feeling. He didn't _want_ to wait any longer. He didn't know how much time his friend had left.

The floor shook again. George jumped. "New server! Gimme a second…"

They all waited, tension growing in the room. George scanned the code, muttering translations as he tried to decode the enchanted words. After a second, he frowned. "That can't be right."

"What?" Tubbo inched forward. "What? What is it?"

"I may have gotten the translation wrong-" George tilted his head at the screen. "But the server we connected to is crashing. And it says it's name is SMPEarth."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sunday special- two chapters! Next one will come out later today~


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second part, as promised. Hope you all enjoy the dirty crime boy's POV.

Wilbur grew up on a kingdom server.

He was born into high nobility, and even with the silver spoon stuck in his mouth, he was the type that gravitated to trouble. When he was young, he'd steal trinkets and antiques from the royal family. When he got older, he turned to dirty little crimes.

He can't blame it all on himself, either. His server was the type to take in children from anarchy servers, which means a lot of his friends growing up weren't the best of influences. He was 10 or so when he met Techno, and he was immediately drawn in by the child's mask.

"You're an admin?!" He asked immediately, and the kid definitely didn't seem to be the social type.

"No." He replied, and Wilbur's hopes were dashed. "I've just always had a mask. I never take it off."

He never did find out what Techno looked like, or why someone gave him a skull to wear as a mask in the first place. It grew as he grew, which told Wilbur it was enchanted and he probably shouldn't mess with it.

Even though his new friend was shy Wilbur took no notice, immediately pulling him into the court life. They became partners in crime, and it didn't take long for him to convince Phil, who basically took care of most of the kids in the castle, to make him a permanent addition _ in _ the castle.

If Wilbur thought he was bad, once Techno warmed up to him, he found out Techno was  _ way _ worse. Their crimes started causing chaos in the castle, but no one could ever point at them because Wilbur's a good actor and Techno runs too fast.

It wasn't just the little tricks either. When Wilbur started music lessons Techno stayed with him, even though the boy was  _ terrible _ at any instrument he tried. He'd sneak out with him so Wilbur could sing at the local taverns, and he'd help him make up lyrics for songs. Wilbur would watch Techno train in swordfighting and go to his duels.

They had two other friends, too. Friends they  _ wouldn't  _ say the names of.

Wilbur's old server was, at the time, fully updated. They were taught about the respawn glitch and killing people was illegal, punishable by years in prison. Everyone knew that, even the anarchy kids, since it was knocked into their brains from the moment they arrived.

It was a normal day, like most others. They were much older now, and he, Techno, and their other two friends were off with Phil in the woods. The older man wanted to start a hardcore world- a single player world, locked to all but him. They wanted to give him a nice farewell, since he was leaving later today.

There was a lake hidden in a forest of trees, and while the rest of them lounged the two other friends were practicing their swordfighting. Wilbur never really got into swordfighting, it wasn't his type of thing.

One of his friends screamed. He saw Techno scramble up, saw Phil's shocked face.

He saw blood.

His friend had stabbed his other friend straight through the abdomen, and judging by the grin on his face it  _ wasn _ ' _ t _ an accident.

He had called his friend's name, had lunged towards him, had been pulled back by Phil. He saw Techno grab a sword, saw him fight him off, saw his friend fall to his knees.

The other friend, the traitor, kept his eyes on Wilbur. "The Ruined send their regards." He produced a bow and aimed, fired. It tore through Wilbur's shoulder but didn't do much else.

Techno sliced the traitor's head off.

Wilbur didn't care, though, because his friend was  _ still alive, _ and he dove to his side, putting pressure on his wound and  _ wishing _ he knew first aid. His friend looked at him, smiled weakly, and closed his eyes.

His body didn't disappear. Instead, it turned into code and vanished. A broken scream tore through his throat.

The respawn glitch.

_ He was gone. _

When Wilbur went home later, it was by himself. He told a fake story to the king- said that Techno joined Phil and left with him. Said that the traitor was a spy for the Ruined, that he tried to assassinate Wilbur and his friend stepped in, saved him, but died in the process. Wilbur often forgets that he's the child of high nobles, that he's a prime target for assassinations or kidnappings. He never really paid attention to any of it, to any of the rebels that might use him for their gain. He never thought to protect himself, to learn how to fight or how to heal. And because of that, he lost everyone in the span of an hour.

He  _ wouldn't  _ let that happen again.

It’s been awhile since he’s been on SMPEarth.

For being someone that helped come up with the idea, he didn’t really get too involved. He came on, built a bridge, bullied Tommy, then left. It was fun, but he got bored quickly.

But seeing it now, slowly disintegrating, still made him feel something hard in his chest. The admin Wilbur got to create the world cut ties with it, and without an admin, the world would slowly disappear, until nothing was left. He didn’t blame the admin, but it still felt weird seeing it this way.

“He’s after Techno.” Wilbur brought up the universal chat. Sure enough, there were two other people on. “Why is he  _ here, _ though?”

Fundy frowned. “We’re not op’d on this server. There’s nothing we can do.”

And that’s when Wilbur remembered. “You might not be-” He started typing, fingers glowing. “-but  _ I _ am.”

He entered the command and his screen changed. While he couldn’t op other people, he can do most things admins can do, including spectate people.

After a second of static (the server  _ was _ dying, after all-) the screen switched to show Techno and Phil, and Wilbur made his screen seeable to the rest of them.

“You still haven’t explained why we’re here.” Phil prodded, jumping over a log. They were in what Wilbur thought was Tommy’s base, except that the buildings were falling apart and the ground had sinkholes.

“The admin said that this was the last day this server would be stable enough for me to be here-” Techno turned towards him, arms elbow deep into a chest. His mask startled Wilbur, even though he was used to it. “-and I thought it’d be funny to- there it is!”

He straightened up, holding a signed book. Probably one of the war books. Since the server was crashing, they might be able to pull the book out with them, even though that's impossible on a stable server. 

Phil didn’t look impressed. “We came all this way for a book?”

“It’ll get a rise outta Tommy.” Techno opened it and showed Phil a page.

The older man bursted out laughing, and Wilbur suddenly knew what book it was. By Tommy’s groan, he knew too. “He really signed that?!”

While it was nice to see them so relaxed, he doesn’t know when the admin will appear. Since they're on his server, it won’t tell them when he enters Earth. He split the screen, bringing up the chat and whispering to both of them.

Before he could press enter, though, they both paused. Techno frowned, which was barely seeable with his mask in the way. “That’s not Earth’s admin.”

He was there.

The volume in the room rose as his friends started to panic. He couldn't tell who was talking. “He’s locked the server, how are we going to get them out?”

“We can whisper and warn them-”

“They’re not admins, how are they-”

“Wilbur.” Wilbur snapped his head around to find Tommy, who for once looked dead serious. “Is team teleporting still on?”

“No.” He knew where Tommy was going with this. His fingers flew across the screen. “But I can turn it on.”

Faster than WIlbur’s ever typed, he inputted the code and went to whisper to Techno and Phil again. Pausing, he cursed, deleting his message and instead typed in something else.

Phil tilted his head on screen. “Wilbur just asked to join our faction.” Phil shrugged, accepting the request. “Is he on right now?”

“I don’t see his name.” Techno responded. “But he is op’d, maybe he’s hiding. Did he bring this admin on?”

_ Wilbur: Tp to me, NOW! _

They both stared at their screens, confused by his whisper. Phil looked like he was going to say something, when another voice started up. “Hi gents!”

Wilbur was suddenly very thankful that Techno was the type to always have a weapon on hand. The man immediately pulled out a sword, pointing it at the admin instinctually. He frowned when he saw the man in full netherite. “Who are you?”

“How do you have that? This server is on an old version.” Phil added on.

_ Wilbur: Don’t trust him! _

The older man frowned, eyes glancing down at the chat message. It didn’t look like Techno saw it, but with a mask on you can never tell. The admin didn’t seem to notice. “I’m an admin, the rules don’t apply to me.” He said breezily, waving a hand. “I actually wanted to offer you a deal, Technoblade.”

The man in question snorted. “Not interested.”

“You sure?” The admin grinned. “I thought you would enjoy a good fight.”

_ Wilbur: Don’t fight him! _

He felt useless, only being able to whisper. He had to make sure they knew this wasn’t a joke, though.

_ Wilbur: Code black! _

Both Phil and Techno froze. Phil brought out a bow. “Why do you even want to fight me?” Techno asked, but his voice was on edge. “That never turns out well for the other person.”

“I, like many others, watched your duel with Dream.” The admin explained, raising his arms in a peaceful gesture, which neither man believed. “This  _ is _ after 1.8, so I know it won't be as fair to you, but-”

“Wait.” Techno cut him off. “You think you can beat me just because it’s a later version? That’s a real cocky attitude you got there.”

_ Wilbur: Tp to me! _

_ Wilbur: He has an admin weapon, DON’T FIGHT HIM _

“Dream beat you, and I’m better than him, so…” He trailed off, his point made. It was like he was  _ trying _ to get a rise out of Techno, which he probably was. Wilbur just wished the two would teleport to him already.

Techno just laughed, but he wasn’t moving any closer. Wilbur’s pretty sure he saw his message. The others watching the screen were getting louder, but Wilbur was zoned into what he was doing. “Yeah, I doubt that.”

The admin frowned. His admin weapon appeared in his hands, and Techno’s stance went defensive. “He was just as cocky as you are. At least he was willing to make a deal with me.”

Phil snorted. “Like we’d be dumb enough to make a deal with an admin.”

Techno, though, was still. Even though his face was covered, Wilbur could start to see him tense. He didn’t know if he was worried, or mad. Was he putting it together, with what little Wilbur told him?

_ Wilbur: Techno, DO NOT fight him _

_ Wilbur: He’s a rogue admin! _

_ Wilbur: He took Dream! _

Techno took a step back, turning his head to glance at the screen to read.

The admin took that second to attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't know how to describe Techno cause there's so many ways, but for this story him in a mask works best, and it stays on brand.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys spoil me with how nice your comments are, tysm <3  
> Also I'm a Techno fan I promise.

Techno was a great multitasker.

He knew the moment he looked at his screen to read the chat that the admin would attack. Of course he would, he seemed like the type to do that. That’s one of the great things about masks- he didn’t _have_ to turn his head to read what Wilbur whispered. He did so just so the admin could attack.

And as he blocked his first swipe, he read what Wilbur whispered.

His vision went red.

Who does this admin think he is, trying to steal his rival? Dream was _Techno’s_ clout bank-

What Wilbur said earlier came back to him. _Code black._

Code black meant a risk of dying, permanently. And the admin was using his admin weapon. He was a rogue admin.

This was serious.

The admin laughed, and Techno pushed him back. “What’d you do to Dream?!” He asked, but it sounded more like a demand. If Wilbur knew something happened to Dream, then it must’ve happened on the admin’s server, which meant that it wasn’t just those two in trouble, but everyone else too.

_Tommy was on that server._

“You’ll find out soon enough.” The admin promised, and sliced an arrow in half. He frowned at Phil. “This isn’t too fair.”

“Says the one in netherite using an admin weapon.” Phil snarled, and he seemed to come to the same conclusion Techno did. 

“Phil.” Phil was a good fighter, and he was decent at pvp, but if the admin somehow took down Dream, Techno didn’t want Phil anywhere near him. _“Go.”_

 _“No.”_ The hardcore expert fired another arrow. The admin dodged, stepping into Techno’s personal space so Phil couldn’t fire. “I’m not leaving you alone.”

The chat dinged.

_Philza: Can you tp us to you?_

The admin was the definition of offensive, which meant Techno had to wait for an opening. He could go in and attack now, but he’d definitely risk getting cut. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but Techno knew how much damage an admin weapon could do.

_Wilbur: I can_

Even though only his eyes shifted over to see his open screen, he took too much attention away from the admin, who tripped his legs. Techno rolled on the ground, nicking the admin’s leg as he swung out with his sword.

The admin’s sword cut through his pant leg, barely missing actual flesh.

_Philza: Wait until he attacks us_

_Philza: Make it seem like he kills us_

He _knew_ Wilbur wouldn’t like that idea, but it made sense. The admin hissed in pain, jumping back. “This is getting tiring.” He said with a scowl. It quickly turned into a smirk. “Let’s make this more interesting.”

He held out his other hand, and _another_ admin weapon appeared. A glowing axe.

He recognized it.

_“What kind of enchantment is that?”_

_“It’s not an enchantment, it’s an admin weapon.”_

_“_ **_That’s_ ** _what those look like?!”_

_A laugh. “Yeah, I don’t take it out often. Kinda dangerous.”_

_“You gonna use it in our duel?”_

_“Psh, no. I want to win, not kill you.”_

_“...Can I use it for a second?”_

_“It might burn you. Admin weapons are picky with who they let use them.”_

_“I’ll be fine.”_

He glared at the admin, who was cackling. If he looked closely, he could see blisters forming around where the admin held the axe. _Dream’s_ admin weapon. It both infuriated and relieved him, since Dream would have to still be alive for his weapon to still exist, but _how dare he take-_

“Phil.” Techno snapped, not taking his eyes off the admin. “Cover me for a second.”

He couldn’t see the man, but he’s guessing he nodded, since a volley of arrows started up at the admin. The admin ducked behind a tree, and with his gaze blocked Techno whispered to Wilbur.

_Technoblade: Wait til I get Dream’s axe_

With that, he ran back into battle. With him so close, Phil had to stop firing. Techno knew he was at a disadvantage, but he also needed time to figure out how to get that axe. He’s a better thinker while fighting.

He jumped back, barely avoiding the sword, before bringing his own sword up to the side. Dream’s axe hit his sword in a shower of sparks, and he really hopes that admin weapons don’t deplete durability at an insane rate.

He had to jump back again to avoid getting stabbed in the foot, and he had forgotten he was on a crashing server. A miniature sinkhole had appeared behind him, catching his ankle and almost twisting it. He stumbled, having to dive out of the way. Dream’s axe embedded itself in the ground, where he was moments before.

The admin went to follow, but now that Techno was out of the way Phil could fire. It snagged the admin’s clothes, and before he could react Phil was on him with his own sword. Techno wanted to get in there and help him, but that wasn’t part of the plan. Instead, he took a second to catch his breath. Phil blocked the axe with his own sword, and when the admin came in with his sword on the other side Phil brought out his shield.

A shield…

_A shield!_

_Oh, this was going to hurt..._

Plan now made, he stood up. The admin noticed, withdrawing his weapons to instead rush Phil, hitting his shield hard and toppling him over. His friend made a sound of surprise, right before the admin brought up his sword and stabbed down.

Phil disappeared.

For a second, Techno could see the confusion clear on his face. He might not be tricked by the teleporting- but this was a crashing server, wasn’t it? Crashing servers go by different rules, if you die you might die permanently or you might be sent back to spawn. Normal things like health and hunger glitch, and each crashing server has different side effects. Techno knew this, so the admin must know it too.

He did have to play the part, though. 

“No!” He ran forward, sword swinging in a wide arc. The admin parried, pushing him away so he could stand. “You’ll pay for that.”

The admin just laughed, undisturbed, and that _really_ made him mad. He darted forward, ducking under a swipe and sweeping the admin’s legs. The man caught himself on a hand, leaving his side open. Techno’s sword tasted blood on his next swing.

The admin shuffled back, hand on his side. He could see the blood starting to stain his clothes. The sight made him smile.

He, unlike many others, had no problem killing those he thinks deserved it. And he didn’t mean normal killing, either. There are many people he wished he could permanently kill in this world. This guy just joined the list.

_Wilbur: We have Phil, he’s fine_

_Wilbur: Get the axe_

_Wilbur: Don’t forget what you’re doing_

Curse Wilbur understanding him. Even when he was nowhere in sight, he still could read Techno like an open book. Well, less so than Phil- was Phil snitching on him right now?

The thought almost made him smile. He was still pissed _(what happened to Dream-)_ but at least he could think properly. It was more important to get that extra admin weapon _away_ from the admin. He could kill him _after._

The admin glared, and Techno realized _he_ was letting anger control him, the hypocrite. The man yelled, running towards him with both weapons held high. Time to enact his plan.

_This was going to hurt._

Techno brought his sword up to block the admin’s sword. The admin’s face looked vicious, and he could see victory swimming through his eyes.

Something sunk into his side.

_ouch._

Then, before the admin could pull back, he took out his shield, dropping his sword to instead grab the hilt of the axe buried in his waist. He twisted away, the shield hitting the admin in the face, causing the admin to let go of his weapon. Techno backed up, hand still holding the axe wedged into his side. It didn’t burn, it never burned him.

He got it.

The admin looked at him, eyes wide. Techno grinned, surprisingly pain free, before pulling the axe out of his side.

He started falling.

His eyesight blurred, and when he hit the ground it wasn’t the ground he had been fighting on. Unluckily, he had landed on his injured side.

 _Oh,_ **_there's_ ** _the pain._

He had heard that adrenaline can block out pain. People have told him stories of when after they fought someone, once they were safe, straight agony snuck up on them, as if waiting. Wilbur says that's the body’s way of keeping people safe- keeping the pain away until they were someplace safe enough to deal with it.

Techno would rather just not feel the pain at all.

“Oh god-” That was Phil, or was that Tommy? Techno opened his eyes, wincing at the bright light. There was Wilbur and Phil and oh, yeah, it _was_ Tommy. “Oh god-”

“Cool it, nerd.” My gods this was agonizing. Techno’s sure it didn’t hit anything vital, but _damn,_ it was deep and _painful-_ “I’m fine.”

“You are most definitely _not!”_ Wilbur yelled at him, and were there other people in the room? Techno’s vision made up shadows if there’s not. “This is fatal, _why was this your plan?!”_

He shifted, and white hot pain shot through his entire body. He clenched his fist, and what was he holding again? Oh, yeah. “I wasn’t just gonna let him _keep_ Dream’s axe.” He murmured. “Chill out, I never die.”

“This is an admin’s weapon Techno!” Wilbur, was Wilbur crying? His eyes were teary, at least. Was it really as bad as he thought it was? “If it wasn’t one I’d be hopeful but, Techno, they’re way more dangerous to regular-” He paused, startled.

“What?” Techno asked, because they were looking at his wound. Was it turning black or something? That wouldn’t be good- “Oh.”

He was leaking code. He knew that admin weapons caused people to leak code. You know, to tell you that you were dying.

He’s pretty sure normal people don’t leak _enchanted_ code, though.

Phil grinned, oozing relief. “I _knew_ you were an admin!”

Techno blinked at the code. A white enchanted symbol fell onto his hand. “Huh.” He whispered. “I guess you were right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If y'all would please look back in you textbooks to chapter 1, you'll see the line, "Admins are chosen and turned into admins at birth, and they can go their entire lives without ever knowing they are one." The second part of that sentence was added specifically for this part. Admin Techno ftw.  
> Also an anon on the last chapter commented that Techno knew and lied about it because of social anxiety. They weren't right, but I wish they were because that is SO MUCH BETTER then just him not knowing. Anon, I like your headcanon better then my own storytelling. As for his mask, I dunno I haven't figured that out yet.
> 
> Also, admin clarification. Admins are the ONLY people that can create servers, but you can be an admin and not create servers. You're not obligated to do so. Also, the way admins figure out that they are admins is usually by accidental use of their powers. Admins have limited use of their powers on the server they were born on, and usually they'll use that power and get found out. Techno grew up on an anarchy server but left pretty early on and joined Wilbur's server, which meant he never had enough time to use his powers and be found out. Also there's something else that you will learn about in the next few chapters.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo chapter Tubbo chapter Tubbo chapter!  
> My god writing Tubbo is fun. Also, Dream's back!

It was times like these where Tubbo wished he paid more attention to Wilbur’s healing lessons. Because he _knows_ that it’s bad, _knows_ it needs treatment, but he doesn’t _remember_ how to treat it. Luckily, Wilbur is here, and next time he decides to lecture Tubbo on how to properly dress a wound Tubbo will listen and listen well.

Then he remembered that it was an admin weapon that hurt him. It couldn’t be healed or dressed. They could barely even clean it.

He doesn’t really know Techno well, but he’s always been good at reading people; not just their face, but their body language as well. Techno was relaxed, but Tubbo could tell that it was forced. He was a lot like Dream, in that way, Tubbo thought. He didn’t like to show weakness.

While Wilbur tried to figure out what to do, the others informed Techno and Phil on what exactly was happening. Tubbo felt bad for the Wilbur- he was really working himself up, and Tubbo knew he felt personally responsible for all the pain they felt while injured.

"So I'm an admin." Techno turned to Phil, as if his opinion was the only one that mattered. That was okay, Tubbo understood. "But I can't read enchanted."

Phil pursed his lips, and Tubbo knew the sentiment. Couldn't all admins read enchanted? "There have been cases of half admins before." Phil said. "Admins who's god didn't fully bless them, or something stopped the blessing when it happened, causing it to only half work."

Techno sighed, as if expecting an answer like that. "The perks of growing up on an anarchy server, I guess."

They all seemed to ignore the fact that his admin status was probably the _only_ reason he was still alive.

Speaking of the admin weapon, George knelt down to pick it up. He pulled back, hissing at the contact. "It's hot!"

Techno glanced at it, picking it up with ease. "Admin weapons are picky with who they let use them.” he sounded like he was quoting something, in Tubbo's opinion.

Phil nodded in agreement. "Admin weapons are made to help admins get rid of problems that could damage a server. Each weapon is made of an admin's energy- meaning an admin's weapon is basically an _extension_ of that admin. That means that each weapon has different rules as to who's allowed to use it."

"So it's basically a part of Dream?" George frowned when Phil nodded. "He's okay with Techno using the weapon but not me?"

"It doesn't work like that." Phil shook his head. "Admin weapons are _very_ dangerous, not just to others, but to the user as well. They have to make sure that the ones they allow to use them is capable."

Tubbo snapped his fingers, figuring it out. "Is it because Techno's on par with Dream in pvp? Cause he won the duel?"

George scoffed, and Tubbo didn't understand why he was so upset. "I've beaten Dream in _plenty_ of duels!"

"Fair duels?" Phil asked, and George deflated. "I've bet you've beaten him fairly before, but have you been a consistent challenge? Not counting manhunts where it's multiple people against him or your plugins where one of you have a distinct advantage."

"No." Sapnap answered for him. "We've both won 1v1s before, but he's a better fighter then both of us."

"So you think that in order to be able to use the axe you have to be a good fighter?" Wilbur asked.

"It's probably more than that." Phil shrugged. "Knowing how to properly use an axe is a plus, not to mention that Techno _is_ part admin. Because of that, he should be able to put the axe away and summon it as well. That usually helps."

"Not always." Techno muttered. "I was watching that admin while we were fighting- his palm kept on burning whenever he brought out Dream's axe." The man picked up the axe laying on the floor, holding it out in his hand to show no forming burns.

"That settles is." Phil said. "Dream, or at least _Dream's axe,_ thinks Techno is, I guess, _worthy_ enough to use it."

Tubbo wishes he could see Techno's face, because it was obvious that he was smirking but Tubbo wanted to see more. Honestly, Tubbo wouldn't be surprised if the axe had allowed Techno to use it _just_ because they were rivals. His and Dream's friendship seemed like the kind to do things like that.

Or, it could be that Dream's axe (and Dream) sees the same thing that Tubbo sees in Techno- strength, and an urge to protect the ones he loves. If Dream couldn't wield the axe, maybe he wanted to give it to the next best person- someone who could protect and defend them from harm. He needed someone who didn't just want to protect people, but had the power _and_ skill to protect them as well. Maybe that's why, even though they're known as rivals, they're actually quite good friends. They understand each other- they both built themselves up as a means to protect themselves and others, and they can respect that in each other. Maybe that's what the axe needs.

Or maybe Tubbo's overthinking it, and the axe was one dimensional and only allowed those on par or better then Dream to take it.

Yes, he's definitely overthinking it. No special underlying meaning here, he's just having a moment again.

"Yay." Techno muttered. "I have to be the one that fights the guy who can literally spawn in infinite god apples."

Their best chance at permanently getting rid of the admin was bleeding out on the floor. Tubbo's optimistic, but he's not an idiot. He didn't like that their two admins were both majorly injured.

It must've shown on his face, because Wilbur patted his shoulder, eyes bleeding sympathy, before turning to the others. "There's a good chance that since the admin can't find Techno, he'll go to wherever he's keeping Dream. We should have someone trail him. As long as we're connected to Earth, I can spectate whoever we send."

A spy mission. No, more like a stealth mission. You have to be quiet and be able to slip into small spaces. Tubbo's small, aren't they? "I'll do it!"

Wilbur looked at him, surprised. "You sure, Tubbo?"

The boy nodded. "I am I am I am!" He grinned. "I'm quiet and I can fit in small spaces. He'll never know I'm there!"

"He makes a good point." Sapnap murmured, and while Tommy obviously wasn't happy, he kept his mouth shut for once. "But what if Dream's tied up with those code chains, like before? We'd need an admin weapon."

"Techno can trail me." Tubbo supplied. "When I find Dream he can see where I go and follow me there."

Tommy was looking at him like he had another one of his moments. They just shrugged.

Phil was frowning though, and Tubbo knows if Phil doesn't give the go ahead Techno won't do it. "He's a bit to hurt to be walking around right now…"

"What?" Techno laughed, shifting to stand up. "This is _nothing_ compared to my last MCU!"

Tubbo knew he was just saying it to calm his nerves ( _what?_ Tubbo can be _ve_ _ry_ observant when he wants to be-) but Tubbo also knew that _he_ _wasn't lying._

If Tubbo thought _anyone_ was an admin in disguise, it'd be Techno. He wouldn't be surprised if he was actually one of the gods. The literal blood god.

Phil sighed. "Alright. Don't do anything stupid."

That was actually directed at both of them, wasn't it? "I won't."

Eret handed him 2 invisibility potions. "16 minutes." He reminded. Tubbo nodded, taking the two and turning towards Wilbur, whose hands were glowing. Tubbo couldn't see the screen, but he knew he was typing in the spectator command. "I'll be careful." He promised. Wilbur locked eyes with him, and he suddenly realized the older man would _slaughter_ him if he dared die. He'd rather not die twice in one day, please and thank you.

He took a second to grin at Tommy, trying to explain with his eyes that _he had this,_ before he gulped down the first potion and slipped out.

The first thing he noticed, wandering around the mansion house they were in, was _all the trophies._ Hunting trophies lined the shelves, and then above them sat decapitated heads of all types of creatures. Tubbo saw a bee head and frowned.

"Tubbo." Tubbo jumped, before remembering that while being spectated they could hear them. Was that Sapnap speaking? "Keep going down that hall. You'll find the human trophy room on the other side of that door."

Tubbo nodded, hoping they could see. "Roger that, copy, over and out- wait! Keep the line quiet, I'm going in~!"

The thing was he was taking this seriously. This was just _his_ version of serious.

He made it through the door just as the doors behind him swung open and the admin came storming in. Tubbo scrambled behind the closest display, and he had to choke down a gasp when he saw a mask staring at him from inside it.

_Dream's mask._

Before he could do anything, the admin stomped in, glaring at everything and nothing. He stopped at any empty display, the name _Technoblade_ written over it on a sign. He let out a growl of frustration, before shattering the glass with his fist.

At the same time Tubbo seized his opportunity and opened Dream's display, slipping the mask off its pedestal and pocketing it. It disappeared right after he touched it.

The admin seemed to have an epiphany after a minute of silent thinking, and he grinned, stalking off. Tubbo waited a single second before following him. He deliberately didn't look at the human heads he passed by.

The admin went off into another hallway, taking the furthest door, which had stairs going down. Tubbo sneaked after him, almost skipping as he darted forward. The door started closing after the admin. He shot forward, slipping through.

He stubbed his toe on the other side.

A wail tore through his throat, but he clenched his teeth and caught almost all of it. The admin paused, looking around in suspicious confusion. Tubbo pressed himself against the wall, worried he’d come back upstairs and bump into him.

After a second, the admin turned back around, hopping down the rest of the creaky steps. Tubbo, happy he was as light as he was, sat on the guard rail and slid down to hide the noise.

They were in a dungeon.

“Tubbo.” Tommy’s voice was quiet in his ear. “Techno’s coming. _Don’t_ have a moment, please.”

Usually after a smart moment Tubbo had a disastrously stupid moment- it’s just how he worked. He nodded, even though Tommy couldn’t see him with the potion on.

How much time did he have left on that? 5 minutes? Good, that’s well enough.

“Judging by the look on your face, you failed.” Tubbo sucked in a breath, glancing around. The admin was standing in front of a cell that was so dark Tubbo couldn’t see a foot into it. He stared at it, just before hands gripped the bars. They were chained with coded chains around the wrists, and Tubbo’s suddenly very happy that Sapnap thinks as much as he does. After another second, the rest of Dream’s body appeared out of the dark, and if he didn’t know he was there Tubbo would’ve been scared. _“I told you_ it wouldn’t work.”

“They disappeared.” The admin gritted his teeth. “I need you to find them.”

Dream blinked, surprised, and he was so expressive without a mask. Tubbo usually liked that, but that was when he voluntarily took the mask off. “How could _I_ find them?”

“Techno stole your axe from me.” The admin explained, eye twitching. “I know you can sense where it is. _Tell me.”_

A particularly large swirl effect from the potion flew in front of his face before disappearing. Tubbo checked to see how much time he had left, since it usually signified that it was below half. 3 and a half minutes, he’ll drink at half a minute.

When he looked back up, Dream was staring at him. _Staring._

_He had seen the particle effect._

He threw back his head and laughed, still clutching the bars. It gave Tubbo a good look at his torso, which was washed in red. “As if I’d _ever_ tell you!”

The admin growled, grabbing the code chains and yanking them forward. Dream was pulled with them, the front of his injured body slamming against the bars. A brutal scream tore through his throat before he caught it, growling and yanking his body back. That only almost made him pop out his shoulder blades. A puddle of blood started up on the floor as he panted.

The admin hung onto the chains. “Tell me.”

Dream sucked in a heavy breath, before looking up. He smiled. “No.”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish.” The admin didn’t yank his chains again, but he did pull. Dream, already against the bars, hissed in pain. “You lost the duel, this is it for you.”

“Attacking an injured person from behind in the middle of the woods does not count as winning a duel.” Dream glared. “We both know the gods are stingy about this type of thing. If the duel was complete, _we would know.”_

“So the duel is still open, then?” The admin grinned, and Tubbo felt like Dream said something wrong. “That means I’m still allowed on your server- and your _friends_ are still up for grabs.”

It took a second for it to settle, Tubbo could tell. When it did, Dream slammed his hands against the bars, rattling them. _“I swear-”_

“On what?” The admin cut him off, letting go of his chains. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a server to go connect to.”

He disappeared the way he came from.

Not a second later, Tubbo’s potion wore off.

Tubbo blinked, looking at Dream (who was looking directly at him) before looking down at his now seeable hands. He waited till he heard the door up the stairs close before speaking. “Oops.”

“You gotta be more careful.” He heard, but didn’t see, Techno grumble. “Wait, I got milk on me-”

There was a second of silence, and then suddenly Techno was besides him. He wasn’t wearing a cloak, and the side of his white undershirt was absolutely covered in blood. Dream winced at it. “My axe?” He guessed.

Techno nodded, bringing the weapon into existence. “Worth it.” With that, he cleaved open the lock on the cell door. Tubbo peered in, curious. It was still very dark, but his eyes could make out a few outlines- a bed and something else. He didn’t have longer to look, since Techno cut the chains around Dream's wrists and the one Tubbo didn’t see around one of his ankles.

“Tubbo.” Wilbur’s voice startled him. “Be careful coming back- we don’t know where the admin is.”

Tubbo nodded, before frowning. “That could be a problem.”

Both admins looked at him. “What?” Dream tried to step out of the cell, but hissed and stilled, arm hovering over his torso. The cell bars must’ve _really_ aggravated the wounds.

“Well, we don’t have enough potions for us all to go back, and someone needs to help Dream anyway.” Tubbo explained, glancing at the man sympathetically. “But we also need to watch out for the admin.” He dug through his inventory. “I do have one potion left, though.”

“Take it.” Techno shuffled over to Dream’s side, taking the man’s arm and throwing it over his shoulder. “I got him, you lead the way and make sure the coast is clear.”

Tubbo nodded. More stealth! A job he could definitely do. He uncorked the bottle and chugged the liquids. “Follow me, I know de way!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo goes by multiple pronouns, but my favorite pronoun of his is 'Tubbo', something about using his name as a pronoun made the chapter 10 times more fun to write.  
> And Tubbo believe in yourself your moments are special and always 100% accurate.
> 
> Phil is a lore vending machine shush I'll explain later.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> George's chapters are always short I swear I don't do it on purpose.

Tubbo stepped through the door first, followed by Dream, then Techno. George didn't wait, flinging himself at his friend, only half remembering to watch out for his injuries. He made it a millisecond before Sapnap, which meant he was sandwiched between the two as they all hugged.

"Alright, alright." Dream laughed, but it sounded forced. "We're good. I'm okay, it's fine."

It _wasn't,_ and they all knew it. He was saying it for their benefit, but George hadn't been able to get that empty bed out of his mind, or the fear that overcame him when he saw it. "Shut up."

His next laugh was a little more genuine. Then he was gasping, curling in on himself and George almost had a heart attack.

They laid him out on the floor, and the man didn't even try to fight it. George sat by his head, and Dream turned towards him, as if trying to hide his face from everyone. It hurt to see- he knows admins usually wear masks even around friends, he knows Dream is special in that regard. Seeing someone change him like this, made him feel the need to _hide..._ it made his stomach clench.

He felt hands on his shoulder and saw Tubbo holding out Dream's mask. He took it silently, carefully lifting Dream's head to tie it on. His facial expression didn't change the entire time- clenched eyes and a scrunched up nose, he was in a lot of pain.

Wilbur, who was looking at the wound, sighed. "You're losing a lot of blood _and_ code. We need to heal this somehow."

"There's nothing- nothing you can… do." Dream wheezed, but it was so _different_ from normal. "I'm, I'm fine- it's okay, it's okay-"

Sapnap took Dream's hand, and the admin latched onto the limb like a lifeline. The man leaned down to whisper something in Dream's ear that helped him relax. 

George looked away from him, and found everyone else staring at them. “This _can’t_ continue.” He said, clenching his jaw. “I won’t allow it.”

It was quiet for a few minutes, the only sound being labored breathing and Wilbur’s mumbled words. When the healer finally looked up, George didn’t like what his eyes said. “I don't know how he’s still alive.” Wilbur admitted. “I can’t _do_ anything- whenever I get close the code just vanishes whatever I’m using. I’m afraid to touch it.” 

“I’ll be fine.” Dream muttered, pulling himself together and sitting up. He flinched, holding his torso. “We won't be able to get away from the admin unless we get rid of his powers.”

George scowled. “We can’t just kill him?”

“Kinda hard when they’re a god.” Techno muttered, which George found funny, since _he_ could be called a god. Half god, whatever. 

Sapnap spoke up. “So, is there a way to get rid of an admin’s power?”

It was silent for a minute as Dream thought. "You can't destroy an admin's powers." Dream explained. "But you _can_ transfer their powers to another admin."

Eyes immediately went to Techno. The man shrugged. "Cool. How do we do that?"

"We need to summon the god that gave him his powers in the first place." Dream said. "But we don't know what god chose him, or how to summon said god. I know there's books on it, but I also know they're not on the same servers."

"So we'll have to split up." Eret finished. He placed a hand on Fundy's shoulder. "We should head back to the SMP anyway. Fundy needs to take a break and rest. So does Dream and Techno, for that matter."

"I can't." Dream protested at the same time Techno shook his head. "I'm the only one here that knows the books we need, and one needs an admin to work properly. You can take Techno back, though.”

“Not happening.” The half admin shook his head. “You’re way too weak to use your axe right now, Dream. I should stay, for added protection.”

George knew he couldn’t talk either of them out of it. He didn’t even try. "They’re both staying then." George concluded, before coming up with something. "Punz, you should go with them." Neither Eret nor Fundy were great at pvp, so Punz being there would be a good idea. The man nodded in agreement.

"You should get going, before he comes back." Wilbur patted Fundy's back. "Be careful."

"Of course." Fundy answered, holding his hurt arm to his chest.

"When you get back, meet us at my castle." Eret said, looking back one last time. "See you soon."

"Stay safe." Dream said, and the trio nodded before turning and leaving, walking back into Dream SMP. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Don't worry about them." Sapnap could see right through him, like George could. "They got Punz with them, he'll protect them."

"Can you explain why we need a book to figure out what god gave him his powers?" George asked, before realizing he probably won't get an answer, since Dream was stingy with admin knowledge. He did it mostly to bring the conversation back on track.

Luckily, he was surprised.

"The gods spend most of their time creating things, they don't have time to watch over the world and make sure nothing bad happens." Dream explained. "That's why they created admins. They take some of their power and share it with us, turning us into basically lesser gods. Each god chooses their own admins, but there's no physical way to tell what admin was chosen by what god. You need that book to know what god gave power to what admin. Each server has the book, they spawn in with the world."

"That's the only way?" Tubbo asked. "Do you know what god chose you?"

"No clue." Dream shrugged. "Most admins don't, unless they go looking. The book with the list on the main server was burned decades ago, there's no easy way to check."

"So we have to go find the book on this server." Phil summed up. "And with that, we can summon whatever god we need to summon and get them to take away the admin's power."

Dream winced. "Not exactly." He said. "The book will tell us where we need to go, but not how to summon the god. We need another group to go to the main server and tell the admins there what happened."

"I can do that!" Tommy said at the same time Tubbo said "We can do that!" They both looked at each other and grinned. It felt nice seeing them happy again, even if this whole problem's only been going on for a day or two. Tommy's been in a mood ever since the end of the war anyway, in George's opinion.

"Great." Dream said. "I need you to go tell them that we have a level 6 rogue admin on the Dream SMP server. Tell them he's abusing his powers, and ask for a copy of the book 'Gods and Temples'. Once you have it, go back to the SMP and wait for us."

"Wait." Tubbo said, confusion starting to show on his face. "Isn't the server still locked? And what if the admins don't believe us?"

Dream paused, thinking. "Our server might be locked, but this one isn't. I've been checking chat- people are coming in and leaving constantly. And for the admins, repeat after me."

Dream opened his mouth, but the sound that came out after wasn't like anything George has ever heard before. It sounded ancient and powerful and definitely not English. He doesn't know how Tubbo managed to repeat it. "Good, tell them that if they question you. It's enchanted, so only they'll be able to understand."

Enchanted was something people could speak? He messes with enchanted daily and he never knew that!

Tommy looked unsure for a moment. "I have no clue what you just did." He said blankly. "Let's go Tubbo!"

The two raised their glowing hands before disappearing, fully logged off. George let out a sigh of relief- they were much safer in the main server then they were here. Two less people to worry about.

"Now that that's over." Techno cut in. "Let's go finish this so that I can go take a nap, this cut is _killing_ me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll explain the gods more in the upcoming chapters.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, oh _darn,_ did I happen to accidentally upload a new chapter early? _Whoopsie daisies..._  
>  Wilbur's chapters are always so loooong.

By noon, the group had left the admin's mansion and had stumbled upon a generated village that humans had taken over and expanded. These quaint towns weren't uncommon in any big server, but Wilbur always loved to see them.

They didn't know how much these people knew about everything, but they did know Techno and Dream's masks would scream suspicious, so they stayed back in the nearby forest as the rest (minus Phil, who stayed with them) ventured into the town to get some information.

Wilbur walked out of a small house, shaking his head at Sapnap and George, who waited outside. "No book."

The duo frowned, and Wilbur felt their anger. The library in this town was small, and it didn't have the book they needed. "I'm not surprised." George muttered. "It's probably in a bigger city."

Sapnap's stomach rumbled. "How much food do we have left?"

Not much, and they didn't have any money to buy more. Wilbur packed a lot of materials, but not many people had emeralds on the SMP anyway- they traded with diamonds. "Probably not enough, with how Techno eats."

"Dream's the same way." Sapnap's eyes traced the crowd. He shook his arms before wincing. "It's kind of hard to borrow money when your arms aren't at 100%." He muttered.

Before Wilbur could comment that 1, borrowing money and pickpocketing aren't the same, and 2, _he_ knows how to pickpocket, he caught the sound of music and immediately forgot about everything else.

In the town square, a man was playing with a guitar, and people walking by would stop to drop an emerald or two in as they passed. Wilbur grinned, turning to the others. "I'm going to try something. Be ready for a crowd."

He turned and glided up to the man playing. "You're good at that." He commented lightly.

"I taught myself." The man stopped, a smug grin lighting his face. "I'm the best in the village."

"Are you now?" While being self taught _was_ impressive, it was nothing compared to Wilbur. "I bet I'm better."

The man snorted, eyes narrow. "I highly doubt it."

"Let's make a little bet, then." Wilbur leaned in. "If I win, I get your earnings for today."

The man looked down at his bowl, which was overflowing with emeralds. If this was a normal occurrence, losing it wouldn't be to much of a pain for him. "And if I win, you have to spend a night in the stocks, for disturbing me while I'm working."

Wilbur grinned, backing up and 'accidently' bumping into a man as he passed. He could use the money if he somehow lost this bet. "You're on."

Wilbur won, of course.

Their musical battle drew in a crowd, like Wilbur had predicted, and he could see Sapnap and George weave through the people as he played. By the end of it, they each had a good stack of emeralds to use, and that was after buying fresh bread to bring back to the others.

They left town, heading back to the forest. When they arrived in the clearing they left the others at, they found it empty.

"You took your time." Dream commented, and Wilbur jumped, spinning around to see him behind them.

"Gods." George muttered. _"Stop doing that."_

The masked admin let out a wheezing laugh, before turning around, beckoning them to follow. "We moved farther in."

After a few minutes of walking, they found Techno and Phil shifting through the shulker box. Techno had Dream's axe out, leaving it laying against a tree. Dream's fingers brushed against it as he passed, and Wilbur wondered if he missed being able to use it. He might be better with an axe then Techno is, but he was in no shape to use it. Letting Techno have it while he healed was the best option.

"The book wasn't there." Sapnap said as George passed around the bread they got. "We _did,_ though, get some information while Wilbur had a music battle in the town square."

Techno looked at him knowingly, smiling. Phil just had a knowing look. "I'm not surprised." He said. "But what did you learn?"

"The server has a city located at spawn." Sapnap explained, taking a second to bite into his bread. "It's the biggest city on the server. Most of the important books and items are kept there. It's directly north from here."

Well, that made their next destination easy for them. After a few minutes of eating, they packed up and set off north.

The peace lasted an hour before the admin appeared in front of them. "There you guys are!" He grinned, welcoming, like they were old friends. His smile widened when he caught sight of Techno. "I knew you weren't dead!"

Techno's mask seemed to glare for him. He held out a hand, and Dream's axe appeared. "Just the man I was looking to kill."

"Awe." The admin pouted. "But where's the fun in that? Look, seeing as Dream _broke_ the last deal, how about you and me make a new one?"

He wanted to make a deal with _Techno?_ He knew he was an admin? _How?_

Dream scoffed. "I didn't break any deals." He snapped. "Knocking me out in the middle of the woods while I'm hurt is _not_ a fair duel!"

"Oh Dream, if you wanted in the new deal, you only had to ask." The admin purred. "I know you're looking for something. How about we make this quest interesting?"

Techno glanced at Dream, and even though both were masked something seemed to pass through their gaze. He turned back, crossing his arms. "What's your version of interesting?"

"We have a manhunt." The admin grinned. "But if I catch you, you two have to do what I say. You become my mindless zombies."

Techno snorted. "That hardly seems fair." He scoffed. "You'd just teleport to us while we're sleeping or something."

The admin shrugged. "No teleporting then."

"And no using your admin weapon." Dream cut in. "We also get an hour head start."

Wilbur wanted to strangle them. They were doing _another deal?_ Sure, he could see the positive- the admin couldn't teleport to their location and perma-kill them, but still, _when will Dream learn?_

The admin frowned, but nodded. "These rules are only for during the manhunt." He reminded. "But you've got yourself a deal. Now hurry on, the clock is ticking."

Something in Wilbur's stomach flipped as reality set in. _He was being hunted._ The thought made his ears ring and his vision go blurry.

It reminded him of his old server. Of the Ruined. Of his friend.

Someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him along. Wilbur went with the movement and _ran._ But even as he went, chasing the others into a nearby forest, he made his own promise.

He _wouldn't_ let what happened before happen again.

Night fell, and the group set up camp for the night in a cave. Even though they were being hunted, the actual manhunters didn't seem all too worried. They attributed it to the fact that the admin didn't have a compass leading to them, and he couldn't teleport, so there was little to no chance he'd randomly find them. 

"He's probably trying to guess where we're going." Sapnap explained, rolling out a bedroll and flopping down next to the fire. "We'll have to be careful by towns and cities, but other than that it'll be easy to avoid him."

Dream and George nodded in agreement, so Wilbur took it as fact and finished setting up camp. With the new addition of Phil, they now had two people that knew medical aid, but Phil used it more on himself then other people, so it was still Wilbur's job to do the rounds for the injured people. This time, though, he couldn't really heal anything, since all of the injuries were caused by the admin weapon.

He felt useless, _like before,_ but that didn't stop him from tending to them.

Before he started, though, he had a question. "What is with you admins and deals?"

Dream flinched, as if hoping they'd forget that. Phil looked up. "You don't know?" Phil asked. "When an admin makes a deal or a promise, they _can't_ break them."

George blinked. "What?"

Dream sighed. "Since admins are powerful, the gods but a few different… _restrictions_ on them, so that they couldn't easily abuse their powers. One of these things is a promise. If an admin makes someone a promise, the admin _has_ to deliver on it."

"I heard that before the gods made promises like that admins could have people do stuff for them in exchange for an admin service." Phil added on. "When the people finished their part of the deal, admins wouldn't hold up their end. Regular people couldn't do anything about it- a lot of admins were becoming corrupt."

"Yeah." Dream nodded. "So the gods made it impossible to _not_ do what you promised. And it's not like you'll get smited if you don't do what you promised, you _physically can't_ _not do it._ If you promise to plant a man's entire field, _you're going to do it,_ even if you don't want to."

"So…" George licked his lips, looking slightly worried. "When the admin said you'd be mindless zombies if you lose…"

"We'd literally be mindless." Techno confirmed. "You don't just _do_ whatever you promised, you _become_ your promise."

Well _shit,_ that's terrible. Wilbur kind of wished he never asked. He knows now, at least, and it seemed like he and George were on the same page when it came to _never_ letting them make a deal _again._

"Well that sucks." He decided to say after a few minutes of sullen silence. He didn't think anyone would break the silence, but he did want to check everybody over. "Come here Sapnap, I'm checking your arms again."

He started with Sapnap since they would take the least amount of time to check over. The cut on his throat had closed and the smaller ones littering his arms had as well. While the bigger cuts on his arms were still bleeding, he wasn't losing code anymore.

"That means it's safe to bandage." Phil reminded him over his shoulder. He could barely hear it over Sapnap's whining. His friends were trying to distract him as Wilbur cleaned the wounds again, since Dream said they could still get infected. He obviously didn't like that, but Wilbur was used to patching up Tommy, and no one was louder than Tommy, so he could ignore it.

Wilbur nodded, grabbing some gauze he had put in the shulker box (since people had healing potions and apples, gauze was rarely ever needed and was rarely ever used. Wilbur packed some just in case) and started wrapping the wound to staunch blood flow. Sapnap paused in his pain to look at him questionably, as if wondering why he would try this when it didn't work before. When the gauze didn't vanish, he stared at Dream with wide eyes. "What?"

Dream shrugged, before wincing in pain. "Its a side effect of the weapon." He looked down. "I'm not leaking code anymore either."

"I'm good too." Techno added from the other side of the fire. He was leaning against the wall, eyes shut in a poor imitation of sleep. "I guess it wears off on admins faster."

And just like that, Wilbur was useful again, and not just for checkups. The leaking code had stopped, meaning they could cover the wounds, but they were all still bleeding profusely. He made Sapnap drink a regen potion before turning to Dream.

He shook his head. "Do Techno first. I'm full admin, I can handle it better."

Techno snorted, as if recognizing a challenge somewhere in there, but he didn't rise to the bait. Wilbur made his way over, pushing the cloak he had draped over himself to the side and moving the bloody shirt out of the way. It was obvious that this was done with an axe, as the flesh looked cleaved into. It was deeper than Techno made it out to be, too. He could probably use stitches. Wilbur swallowed down some bile. He had sutures in the shulker, too. He had brought them just in case.

Luckily Phil was there. "That needs to be stitched shut." He muttered, patting Wilbur's shoulder. "You help Dream, I got Techno."

With grateful eyes Wilbur left a roll of gauze with Techno (for any other injuries he might be hiding) and went to help Dream. The man had already taken his hoodie off, and was working on his undershirt. He paused, though, to hit Sapnap with his hoodie when the latter jokingly whistled. Of course the movement made him wince in pain.

Wilbur stepped in, silently thanking his medical training as he helped Dream, moving him back to the wall of the cave so that he could lean back. Wilbur first wrapped the cut on his leg before he checked the chest wound.

Like he had said, there was no leaking code. Due to that, he could actually _clean_ the cut without it making his tools disappear. Now he could finally see what the actual cut looked like.

It was a clean slice, from his right shoulder all the way down to his left hip. While the cut wasn't deep, it wasn't as shallow as he hoped it would be. It wouldn't need stitches, but it'd be annoying to fully wrap _and_ fully clean, not just removing blood. And it would _hurt._

He thought back on his training. When you needed to keep a person awake you'd make them tell you a story of some kind. Wilbur didn't need to keep Dream awake, but he did need to keep his mind off of the pain he was about to be in. So he asked a question. "You know, I don't know much about these gods, besides the fact that there's multiple. Are they all the same or are there types of gods?"

If Wilbur had asked this a few days ago he wouldn't of expected an answer, but Dream's been pretty open as of late. "There's different types." Dream said, and Wilbur started getting to work. "There's a temple for each God. Well, some of them are temples, some are just buildings."

"Really?" Wilbur murmured, listening but focusing on what he was doing. 

Luckily, George seemed to understand what he was going for. "The premade temples that the gods made are actually temples to themselves?" He asked, before laughing. "Narcissists."

"My kind of people." Techno muttered from where he and Phil were. They had moved closer to the fire for better light. Unlike Sapnap, Techno was deadly quiet as Phil stitched him up. His mask hid any of his emotions.

"Always thought it was strange." Dream, on the other hand, was somewhere in the middle. He didn't whine, but he was prone to flinching and with his mask off as it was now, the pain he was in was very obvious. Wilbur almost wanted to stop, seeing how he tensed and how his face screwed up, but this was Wilbur's job and it'd do more harm than good stopping now. "None of the gods have names though, we just call them by their temple."

"What do you mean?" Wilbur encouraged, forcing himself to not look up at his face. The pain there hurt to see.

"Each God just goes by their temple. There's the god of the desert, god of the ocean, of the woods, the jungle-."

"Wait, the woods?" George cut in. "There's no wooden temple."

Dream rolled his eyes before flinching from Wilbur. "I said they're not all temples. I'm talking about the Woodland Mansions. Besides those four, there's also the god of the nether and the god of the end."

"End god, you say?" Techno grinned. "Well I know which one sponsored you."

The admin laughed, and Wilbur started on the bandages. Surprisingly, it was Phil who spoke next. "Each God represents things, right? We might be able to guess from that."

Dream frowned. "Represent things? You mean besides the temples?"

Phil nodded, eyes focused on the needle in his hand. "Yeah. What, did the admins not teach you about that?"

He shook his head. "Never brought it up." He murmured, eyes trailing down to where Wilbur was wrapping his torso. He instinctively shifted, and Wilbur was suddenly pressed to get his attention off of him.

"Do you know them, Phil?" He asked, and heard a little hum as a reply. "Tell us about them, then."

"Well, I read about them in books-" Phil finished the stitches, catching Techno before he could scurry away. "I'm not done. I know your hiding injuries."

Techno whined his complaint, but sat back down, shifting his pants and shirt sleeve to show off normal cuts. "What does the end god represent?"

"Oh, right." Phil blinked, as if he just remembered he was telling them stuff. "Challenge and victory."

Techno paused, before turning his head towards Wilbur and Dream, smirk clear on his face. "That's _definitely_ you."

"Oh, _no_ doubt about it." Sapnap joined in, and George laughed. "Maybe that's why you're so competitive."

Dream didn't try to deny it. He just smiled, turning back to Phil. "What about the others?"

"The ocean is misery and destruction." Phil said, going through the list. "The woods is fear and luck, the desert is hunger and greed, the nether is death and power-"

 _"CoughTechnoCough."_

"-and the jungle is life and mystery." Phil finished at the same time he finished wrapping up Techno's last wound. Wilbur stepped back at around the same time, checking his work one last time before helping Dream put back on his shirt and hoodie. 

"Those are cool fun facts." George said after a moment. "But it doesn't really help us figure out what God gave the admin power. If we go by traits, it could be the ocean, the nether, the desert, or the end. That's 4 out of the 6 gods!"

Wilbur shrugged. "I only asked to get Dream's mind off of what I was doing, so it did it's job pretty well."

Dream scooched forward until he was next to George. He brushed their shoulders. "Don't worry about it. We got this, it'll all be fine."

Wilbur wished he could believe that, but if he was truthful with himself, he doesn't know how many more times he can take patching up his friend's bodies. There was danger around every corner and he was afraid that at some point they'd get hurt and Wilbur wouldn't be able to fix it. _Just like before._

He stared at the dying fire, subconsciously throwing some sticks on top of it. The cave had gone quiet, as if everyone's mind had just gone south like his did. A breeze carried from the outside, making the cold cave even colder.

"Cuddle time!" Sapnap abruptly yelled, lunging at his friends. He practically tackled George and Dream, the blanket he was using falling on top of all of them once they landed.

That broke the tense spell.

"Don't you dare ruin your dressings!" Wilbur shouted, and the youngest had the damn nerve to _stick his tongue_ out at him! Dream was wheezing, still hidden in the dog pile, and George was trying to scramble out. Phil was laughing next to Techno, who Wilbur is half certain fell asleep. The man's masked face was resting on the other's shoulder, so he probably did.

A hand latched around his foot. He looked down and wondered how the cuddle trio had gotten so close. "Don't you dare." He warned.

"Share the warmth!" Dream grinned, and he let go of his foot, instead grabbing his bed roll and pulling it towards them. He left Wilbur with enough space to feel separated, but close enough that the big blanket Sapnap had reached him, pulling him into a warm layer of air. He became drowsy almost instantly- taking care of people will do that to you. "You guys coming?"

"He rarely ever sleeps, I'm not moving him." He heard more than saw Phil laugh. "I'll stay up and keep watch until the fire goes out. We'll be practically invisible afterwards."

Wilbur stopped listening after that. He hasn't slept in close to 36 hours and it was starting to catch up. He closed his eyes and was almost immediately pulled under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses as to who's god is who's?  
> I thought some good stuff and fluff was needed.  
> Also, Dream's wound leaked code for longer because it kept on getting irritated, fyi. That's why it stopped leaking code around the same time Techno's did, even though his is newer.  
> And again, Phil the lore selling vending machine.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter switches POV's twice, fyi.

"We're being tailed."

And for the first time, Dream didn't think it was Techno's high strung paranoia talking. All those manhunts taught him when people were staring. He felt it too. "It's him."

"Do we run?" Wilbur asked, eyes darting about. The rest of the group was suddenly riddled with tension.

"No, that'll cause a scene." They had made it to the spawn city in the afternoon, and had just found a map of the place when Techno announced their unwanted guest. The thing was, there were _five_ libraries riddled around the place, and they needed to check them all. "We split up. Everyone, check a library. Wilbur-" he was the worst fighter out of all of them, but he was also their best healer. He shouldn't be alone, in case the admin targeted him. "-go with Techno. Everyone else, by themselves."

Surprisingly, there was no arguments against it. Wilbur did seem a little unhappy, though. Before Dream could start towards the farther library, he spoke up. "That's good, but we need to know who's going where. Techno, Dream, and Sapnap will take the closest libraries in that order since they're hurt. Phil, can you take the farthest?" Phil nodded, and Dream cursed Wilbur's mind. He seemed to notice, the bastard. "Good, _now_ we can go."

Dream muttered under his breath, happy his mask hid his face from his friends. It was kind of noticeable, though, wasn't it? Easy to find in a crowd- plus the slashed hoodie he hasn't had time to fix. At least it was clean now.

Making up his mind, he slipped into the crowd, stealing a shirt (he left some emeralds) from the first stall he passed and stuffing his hoodie into his inventory. He kept on his long sleeved black undershirt, and with his new blue t-shirt he looked semi normal. Stepping into an alleyway, he ran to the other side, taking off his mask and storing it before slipping into the crowd again.

He can't deny- he feels like an undercover agent. He should try that on the SMP, when they go back to it. Go from the 'villain' to a spy on the inside, or something. Could be fun, could be chaotic, why not?

Since his library was second closest, he made it there fairly quickly. It was the largest library in the city, five whole floors of books. He made his way inside, snatching an empty book and a little copier when no one was looking. 

He paused, backtracking to the librarian at the front. "Hello ma'am." He greeted. The librarian smiled. "I'm looking for a book called 'Gods and Admins', do you have one in stock?"

She grinned, getting out of her seat, and Dream knew he hit the jackpot. "We have the _only_ one in stock. You can't check it out, mind you."

"I understand." He hid the empty book in his inventory.

The book was on the third floor, encased in glass with a hole just big enough for a hand to reach in and turn the page. Dream thanked the librarian, waiting until she went back downstairs to pull the empty book back out. Usually when you couldn't take a book out of a library, you weren't allowed to copy it either. Since this book was special in the first place, copying it would mean that the copy wasn't special, and didn't do the special things the original did.

Well, if you try to copy it and you're _not_ an admin, it gets ruined. Admins, on the other hand…

The book was copied on, and it signed itself, closing. Instead of turning purple like most signed books, it glowed white and blue like code and enchanted.

Dream grinned, pocketing the book and leaving the library. They got it.

They didn't open the book until they were back in the cave they spent last night in. Night had fallen by the time they arrived, but none of them were tired. They went through the same routine they did yesterday- Wilbur cleaning and dressing their wounds and Phil berating Techno on popping one of his stitches. It was colder tonight, enough that the fire wasn't enough, so the entire group was close enough to all fit under Sapnap's impossibly big blanket. Techno had complained at first, which was why he was one of the outside ones in their blanket line, even though Wilbur said he should try to keep warm to heal faster.

"I'm positive Techno's god is the nether god." Sapnap was saying as Dream dug the book out of his inventory. "Dream is probably the end."

"Hey." Techno's voice was insulted, but the smile on his face showed he was joking. "I said that first."

"Well _I_ said it louder."

"Girls, you're both pretty." Phil cut in. "I think the admin's God is the ocean."

"I'm guessing nether." George added in.

Wilbur shook his head. "End. That's why he went after Dream first."

Dream set the book on the ground, quieting the group. He raised a hand, which started glowing blue. **_"Show me what I wish to see."_ **

He knows that to the others, his words were just a garbled mess of sounds they couldn't understand. Enchanted _was_ a weird language to learn. No, scratch that, it was _impossible_ to learn unless you were an admin. The gods made it impossible so that no one could destroy server code.

The book shivered, before flying open. Enchanted words fell out of the pages in a tsunami of movement, swirling upwards to form a picture of _Dream._ It was pretty normal at first glance: hoodie, mask, _axe,_ but then he noticed something else.

Wings. Large wings that brushed against the ground and went three feet over his head. He's seen elytras before, and while they were similar they were _not_ the same.

"Woah…" Sapnap murmured.

"Yep." Dream replied, glancing at Techno. "You were right. That's the End God's calling card."

"You get _wings?"_ Phil cried. "That's _so_ unfair!"

"How'd you do that?" George interrupted. "You just, you just said _nonsense_ and it suddenly _opened_ and-"

"Wish _I_ could speak enchanted." Techno muttered.

"Do all 'Gods and Admins' books do this?" Wilbur asked.

"As long as they're made right." Dream nodded. "Watch."

He turned back to the book. As if sensing his change in desire, the book shuttered, and the picture changed to show Techno. The difference with him is that his sword was blood red, and he was _on fire._

"Hmm." Wilbur hummed. "I was expecting devil horns."

"Not gonna lie, so was I." Techno agreed. "I like the sword, though."

"Can you find the admin without his name?" George asks, and Dream sent him an encouraging smile.

"The book doesn't go off of names, it's reading my mind." Dream gestured to the book, which was changing again. "Admins lie about names and wear masks, you'd never be able to find anybody if you go by that."

A picture of the admin appeared, and Dream cringed. He looked like he had just survived a famine- hallow skin, sunken cheeks, twig limbs. On his head sat a crown made of bones.

"That looks like misery to me." Phil murmured, hand on his other arm.

"No." Dream disagreed. He's seen this calling card before, studying in school. "Famine. A crown made of bones- this is like what you said earlier. Hunger and greed, the desert god."

  
  
  


Tommy didn't like the main server admins. 

They were nothing like Dream or Techno, and their pompous, dickish nature annoyed him far too much.

Luckily Tubbo didn't seem to notice. "He attacked our server and connected it with his and abused his powers and-"

"Slow down, child." The only semi decent one cut in, eyes soft. "Explain _slowly."_

So Tubbo did. He explained everything that happened, and when he paused Tommy took over and continued on. Like Tubbo thought, they didn't believe the two teens, so before they could even finish their sentence Tubbo yelled out whatever Dream had him repeat earlier.

The admins all paused. For a second, they looked worried. "This…" one murmured. "Is troublesome."

"Troublesome?" Tommy had had _enough._ "Troublesome? Our _lives_ on in danger! A rouge admin is trying to kill and stuff us, and your only a _little_ worried? You know he's giving all admins bad PR, right? Fuckin take care of your problems!"

They stared at him. Tommy glared back.

The nice admin turned to Tubbo. "We have a lot to discuss if we want to get this done in a timely manner."

Tubbo grinned. "We do we do we do!"

  
  
  


Punz glanced into the quiet room once last time before closing the door. Eret was waiting outside. "He's asleep."

"Finally." The other man whispered, leading him away from Fundy "He needs the rest."

Punz still couldn't believe half the stuff that happened _actually_ happened. He hoped the others were okay. "You sure it's safe here?"

Eret nodded. "Fundy whitelisted the place, _and_ he said the server was no longer connected. I have the most supplies on the whole server- this is the best place to be." 

Punz nodded. "I don't doubt you, I just wished I could do more."

Eret shrugged. "You're keeping us safe, at least. Besides, there were too many of us there. The more people, the more targets. I wanted to come back and beef up my medical room anyway, gods know what trouble they'll get into out there.

He understood that. Still didn't mean he didn't want a taste of the action. An idea came to mind. "What would you say to us making something?"

The man arched an eyebrow. "What would that something be?"

Punz told him.

The other man smirked. _"I love it."_

While it won't kill him, it'll teach the admin to stay off their server.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes Dream, live your dreams and be an undercover agent. You already act like the CIA. You're not a Watcher, though. Watchers don't exist here, they are not in this story.  
> Also, nice job Pigeonat for guessing that it was the desert god.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap, the star background character that is done with everyone's shit. Oh, you guys probably won't like this chapter either...

"Sorry, dear, about the mood." The woman who owned the bakery said. They had made it back to the first village they had seen, where Wilbur had started an impromptu music battle. "Someone went and burned down our granary last night, we lost weeks worth of food."

Sapnap winced. He may be a pyromaniac, but he's not an arsonist. He understands their pain. "That's terrible."

"Well, there's nothing we can do now." The lady handed the bread over, and Sapnap gave her the last emerald he had. "Thank you, sweetie."

He said his farewells and went back to meetup with the others, who were waiting at the square. There was a sort of tension in the group as they got closer to the mansion, as if they were all waiting for a trap to be sprung.

Once he came into view Dream was up immediately. "Great we're all back let's go-"

"He's not going to attack us in the middle of a town, Dream." George scoffed, and Sapnap ignored the both of them. They've been having this argument for hours now.

"It won't be an attack, it'll be something-" Dream paused, masked face staring at the sky. A whisper started up as the townspeople paused as well. "He's here."

And the bastard was here, Sapnap could see the prick fly down from gods know where. They forgot to add flying to the deal, _damnit._ He landed on the stone in front of them, and the people of the town murmured their awes. The admin had arrived.

He heard the sound of a weapon appearing, and saw Techno step forward out of the corner of his eye. "Permission to kill."

Wilbur scoffed. "Permission denied." He paused. "For now."

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The admin shouted. "I heard about what happened to your granary, and I went out to find the culprits." He grinned at them. "Apparently they _do_ always return to the scene of the crime!"

Sapnap understood exactly what was happening moments before the townspeople understood what the admin said. "You dirty little-"

"I've found your arsonists!" The admin cut him off, smirking and pointing. The townspeople turned to them, confused and sad faces turning into rage. "I believe you can do the rest?"

His first thought was to run. He wanted to, and he probably could, but before he could decide he heard Dream cry out behind him and the decision was made for him. He turned to see several people jumping the masked man, probably thinking him the most threatening because they couldn't see his face and his height was intimidating. Wilbur was next to him, shouting for the people to get off of him, telling them he was injured. The people holding him back ignored him, as did the people on Dream. Techno had put the admin weapon away and was surprisingly calm as he ducked and weaved under people's arms. The half admin leaned back, dodging a person, before wincing and clutching his side. The second of vulnerability let others grab and pin him down. Phil, like Wilbur, had two or three guys holding him still as he protested.

Dream cried out again, voice cracking in pain, and someone shushed him by punching him. For a split second, Sapnap saw red.

There had been people grabbing his arms (which should've hurt but he couldn't really _feel_ right now-) but that didn't matter. He yanked himself away, lunging into the dog pile. He pushed and kicked and at one point _bit_ his way through them until he could grab Dream's hoodie and pull him out. George was there with him, using his body as a shield against the angry townspeople. "You just attacked an injured man!" He shouted. "You're all _sick!"_

That seemed to cause them to pause, and whatever haze that came over them fell away. They looked guilty for a second, and Sapnap glared at them all. A man in uniform pushed through the crowd. "You, sir, and your friends are under arrest for burning the granary."

More uniformed men appeared around them, but when they went for Dream Sapnap _growled,_ startling them enough that they let the man walk by himself. He was limping again, harsher than before. Techno was also walking funny, holding his side in a way that told Sapnap that he either ripped the stitches or stretched the wrong way. His own arms burned from the sudden unwanted exercise, but he ignored it.

The jail wasn't that big, there were only three cells, all of them empty. They split them into twos, and Sapnap should've realized something was even more wrong when they ordered certain people to certain cells like they had been _told_ to do it.

"Well, wasn't that fun?" The admin walked in after the uniformed men left. His smile made Sapnap want to punch his teeth in. "That's a new manhunt tactic for you, huh?"

"Let us go-" Dream started, but the admin cut him off.

"Quiet." He locked eyes with Dream, even with the mask in the way, and his next smile had something smug in it. "Now, I believe we made a deal- you, Techno, and I. If I win, you have to obey me. Correct?"

Sapnap couldn't see Techno nor Dream's face, couldn't see their expression, but both tensed for a second before Dream relaxed. The next time he spoke, his voice was light. "Yes."

The admin seemed much to giddy and smug, and Sapnap was worried. "Take off your mask, Dream."

There was no hesitation. The admin said it, and Dream immediately complied, pulling the mask off and holding it in a limp hand. His face was blank, like no one was living there anymore. Phil and Dream had explained admin promises, but he didn't think it'd be _this_ bad. Why did Dream ever agree to this?

The admin's smug grin widened. "Punch Techno."

Again, there was no hesitation. He just turned and punched him square in the jaw. Techno didn't try to defend himself either, he just took the hit and turned back to the admin, lip bleeding.

"Oh!" The admin cackled. "This is perfect! Act normal." 

Sapnap couldn't see Techno's reaction, but Dream blinked, looking down at the mask in his hand and his bloody knuckles in horror. _"Oh no."_

 _"Oh yes."_ The admin giggled. "You lost the deal, and now you've lost your free will!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heh...  
> Admin deals are the Chekhov's gun of this story, I had to use them at some point, or else they were irrelevant! Don't blame me, blame Chekhov!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They planned ahead, I promise.  
> Also, GUYS! I'VE BEEN WATCHING GAME THEORY FOR YEARS NOW AND MATPAT AND DREAM COLLAB I WASN'T EXPECTING THIS-

He was floating. Floating through the haze over his mind. Distantly, he knew something was wrong, but did it really matter all that much?

He thinks it wasn't always like this. Someone said something, he _lost_ something, and as they spoke he heard someone in his head.

**_A deal has been completed._ **

And then everything was _gone,_ and Techno fought against it for a second but what was he fighting for again? He's sure he's missing _something_ but everything was hazy and did it really matter when everything felt _off?_

His jaw hurt. He could feel _that,_ at least. He thinks someone punched him but he isn't too sure.

Act normal? Was it too existential to ask what was normal anymore? Was that something he normally said? What was normal?

The admin's smile rubbed him the wrong way, but he didn't know why. He had the strange urge to listen to whatever he said, so when he opened their jail door and told them to come out, he didn't think twice about it.

His friend -Dre? _Dream-_ seemed much more against it, though. "This isn't over."

"Techno, control your friend."

His arm was coming out to pull Dream back before he could even figure out if that was a good idea or not. He thinks it's probably good to listen to the admin, for some reason.

A little voice in the back of his head wondered why Dream could act normal when he couldn't. Was it just a front, and his brain was just as mushy as Techno's? He couldn't tell.

Dream didn't struggle at all, but he did glare. It was easy to see, since he hadn't put back on his mask. "Techno." Phil pleaded. "Come on, you can fight this-"

The admin cut him off with a laugh. "You're not stupid, Phil. This was a deal made by admins. _Neither_ of them can fight this. I told them to _act_ normal, not _be_ normal."

But Phil ignored him, staring at Techno even though he couldn't see his eyes, like he knew something was different, and Techno wondered what he saw.

(Briefly, he wondered if wondering in itself wasn't supposed to be possible. He wished he could find out how Dream felt about this, before realizing that it didn't matter and he should probably just do what the admin says. That seemed like the smart choice, here.)

"I don't believe that." Sapnap growled, but his voice was shaky. "What, you turned them into mindless zombies?"

"Basically." The admin grinned. "They made a deal. If they lose, they have to obey me. As admins, you can't go back on your deals. They're sworn in by the gods."

They lost? What? Technoblade _never_ loses, something must be wrong here-

The haze settled again over his mind, and he forgot what he was thinking. Something about the gods. He was half admin, right? His god messed up or someone tried to block his connection or something like that. He didn't know why that suddenly felt _really important._

"Dream, come on!" George tried this time. The admin in question turned to him, but Techno knew his face was blank and he wasn't really paying attention. It's hard to do that with a cloudy mind. He heard everything through cotton, and the only voice that rang clear was the admin's.

The admin…

The deal…

_We had a plan-_

"Sorry, George." Was all Dream said, but Techno didn't think he _looked_ all that sorry.

"I told the townspeople that I would take you off their hands." The admin continued, moving to unlock the other cells. "If any of you do anything I don't like, Dream and Techno will hunt you down and kill you."

Ooo, a _hunt._ Techno's never been the hunter type. He'd rather just fight someone normally, no chasing, but there's a first time for everything. Who was he fighting again? What was the plan?

_Dream had a plan, what was it-_

The admin opened their cells, and immediately Phil was by his side, looking at him with knowing eyes. Techno didn't understand why he seemed worried, he was just doing what his mind told him too-

"Oh, Techno." The admin called, and his head jerked to the side. "I've been wondering what you look like under your mask. Take it off."

_What?_

**_No._ **

Techno blinked. Something inside of him was _very_ against that, so against it that he didn't move, didn't do what he was commanded to do.

_The plan, it involved him-_

Before the admin could tell something was wrong, Phil ran forward and tackled the man. He couldn't cause any damage before Techno pulled him off, but the man didn't fight him. Instead, he stared at Techno, eyes searching for something Techno probably didn't have.

He looked hopeful. Why was he hopeful? Was there something to be worried about? He didn't think so.

The admin stood up, wiping his mouth. He laughed. "Could use some work." He muttered. "Not too strong with your best players down, huh?"

Sapnap grunted, stepping forward just to have George grab him. Those _were_ Sapnap and George, right? And the brunette was Wilbur, and of course there was Phil and Dream and the admin. He's surprised Tommy wasn't around, he's almost always sniffing out fights.

But this wasn't a fight, right?

_What was he supposed to do again-_

He told them to stop acting and to agree with everything he did. Techno didn't think twice, just happy that the admin forgot about his mask ( _why was he happy again-_ ). The walk back to the admin's mansion was quiet, save for the occasional hum from the admin himself. He had Dream and Techno walk behind him, the others behind them, as if establishing a hierarchy. Techno doesn't really understand that- yeah he listens to the guy but the guy wasn't in charge, right? He just does what he says because…

Because…

Because it was the right choice? Because his gut told him to? No, that wasn't it.

Why _was_ he listening to this guy?

_He can't remember-_

The admin finally stopped in the trophy room. Techno paused when he heard the crunching of glass, looking under his feet to see shards littering the ground. The scene looked familiar to him, but he doesn't know why.

"Alright." The admin clapped his hands together, turning around. "I'm not going to make the same mistake I made last time and keep you guys alive, but what's the fun in killing you guys myself? I think you should _fight_ for it."

They _should_ fight for it. They fought before, Techno won, didn't he? Well, depending on the version, but it _was_ close. Wasn't Dream also injured? It was almost _too_ easy.

"What?!" Wilbur was the first one to speak up. "You can't make them fight! They're injured!"

"That _is_ unfair." The admin pursed his lips. "I'll just have to even the playing field. Techno, give me Dream's admin weapon and summon your own."

Wait, Techno doesn't have an admin weapon, cause Techno's not _fully_ admin, whatever that means.

Not fully admin… that reminds him of something. Some type of plan.

A plan…

_A plan!_

His head clears, the fog pushed back into the corners of his mind. He and Dream had a plan for this, but he can't remember exactly _what_ that plan was.

_What was it?_

"Techno." The admin said, and Techno's head snapped towards him. "The admin weapon?"

The admin weapon? He summoned the blade, and the glow stunned him for a second. The light almost looked like it had been tinted pink. Wasn't that because Techno kind of owned it at the moment?

The weapon almost seemed to hum in his hand, as if trying to tell him something. It reminded him of Dream, for some strange reason.

Didn't he have a plan with Dream?

What was the plan?

The weapon hummed. Something clicked in his head.

 _Oh yeah,_ **_that_ ** _plan._

He walked over to the admin. The man held his hand out, smile smug.

Techno buried the axe in his shoulder.

The admin screamed, surprised and confused. Techno tore the axe out and went for another swing when he screamed for Dream to protect him. The other admin immediately complied, tackling Techno, but his friends were ready, pulling him off and holding him still.

"How-" the admin stuttered, clutching his shoulder. It was bleeding badly, and enchanted code was pouring from the wound. "How'd you- but you were under-"

"I was faking it the entire time!" Techno lied, because he wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he almost won. "I don't play by your rules- I'm not an admin!"

For the first time, the admin looked genuinely surprised. "No! Dream-"

"We haven't lost yet." Techno interrupted, and that was the only thing he had to say. At that moment, Dream snapped out of it, blinking and looking around. Techno grinned, hefting the axe. "So, round two?"

The admin gritted his teeth, before disappearing- teleporting away.

It was quiet for a moment.

"He broke the deal." Dream stated numbly, shaking his head to clear it. "The manhunt is over. It's void, now."

Someone let out a sigh of relief, but Techno's head was still too cloudy to know who. "You really scared me there, Techno."

Techno laughed, and while the others looked relieved Dream was staring at him. He probably knew that Techno bluffed his way through that entire encounter. He was the one who made up the plan.

_"You're not fully admin." He had explained when they were alone. "You aren't bound by admin laws. He's probably going to make another deal, and we'll need to accept it if we want a fair chance at finding that book. If for some reason we lose, you need to trick him."_

_Techno had given him a look that he only half saw due to the mask. "How do you know the admin part of me won't be bound by the law?"_

_Dream had smirked. "I thought you were an anarchist who hated the law." He challenged. "Did you change your entire theme without telling me?"_

_He couldn't turn down a challenge. "Alright." He agreed. "But **I** get to chop his head off." _

"You're cool now, right?" He asked before Dream could call his bluff. "The deal is fully voided, right? You're not, like, half brainwashed or something?"

He nodded. "I'm fine."

He's been saying that a lot recently, but Techno believed him this time. "Good, since we should get going before he comes back."

  
  


They made their way out of the admin's server and back to their own. It took them a few minutes to find the way out of the spawn trap, but the admin didn't show himself while they were figuring it out.

Well, Techno _did_ almost cut off his entire arm, so he was probably worrying about that instead.

Techno and Phil haven't been on the SMP yet, and while Techno was already whitelisted Phil wasn't. Luckily, since the servers were connected he used the same glitch the admin used to get in. Once they were out of spawn Dream whitelisted him anyway, so it didn't matter much.

"When you were telling me about L'Manburg, I was expecting more." Techno admitted as they made their way inside the walls. Wilbur wanted to stock up on medical supplies, just in case, since they were running low. "The walls are nice, though."

"Don't tell Eret that." Wilbur muttered, rummaging through chests. "He's a traitor, he's not allowed to get a big head."

Techno didn't know who Eret betrayed, but from the short time he's known the man he seems nice, and Wilbur had a joking tone to his voice so Techno wrote it off as one. He hefted the axe. "Do you need me to kill him?"

Phil snorted and Wilbur smirked. "Maybe later." When George and Sapnap shifted nervously, Dream wheezed. "Stop that, you're going to irritate your wound."

After they stocked up Dream led them to Eret's castle, and while Techno thinks he could build better he has to admit he's impressed. The man not only tricks his enemies but he can _also_ build? Nice. 

They don't even get to knock before Tommy's opening the door. "We got the book!"

"You're back!" Tubbo latches onto the first person through the door (Dream), grabbing his hoodie sleeve and pulling him farther inside. "We were starting to worry."

"The admins on the main server are weird." Tommy wrinkled his nose. "They definitely didn't believe us, but Tubbo said what you said almost perfectly!"

"I did I did I did!" Tubbo nodded, releasing one of his hands to dig into his inventory, producing a leather book. "We told them everything! The admins couldn't come with us, but they said they'd be here in a few days to see if we still needed help!"

"Wait." Techno blinked, Tubbo's words setting in. "So the admins _know_ there's a rogue admin going around trying to perma-kill people and taxidermy them, and they told you to _wait?"_

Dream groaned. "Thought they'd do that." He rubbed his masked face. "The admin counsel aren't good when it comes to fast response. They have other problems to deal with, too."

"What problems are worse then this?" George questioned. "This guy is literally going around trying to perma-kill and stuff celebrities. Imagine if the news heard of this."

Techno doesn't think anyone would say anything. If they did, journalists would hover outside of the Dream SMP for the next _year_ trying to get in. Everyone allowed on the server would be harassed, and if they got far enough, Dream might be forced to unlock the server. The amount of people that would join would definitely overwork him, and destabilize the server. Maybe if Techno used his limited powers to also power the server, it'd be stable. He doesn't know, and doesn't really want to find out. The other man was taught from childhood how to be an admin, Techno knows _nothing_ in comparison.

"They're not going to find out." Dream assured. "And we won't need the other admins. With this book we'll be able to summon the desert god. Now all we need is a temple."

"There aren't any deserts close to spawn." Sapnap cut in. "I haven't seen any temples, either."

"I can help with that." Said a new voice, and Eret turned the corner. "Well, with the desert, not the temple. I haven't found one of those, but I did find a pretty big desert far out. I set a nether portal out there too, and wrote down the coordinates."

"Eret." Wilbur pushed through the group, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I totally forgive you."

The man laughed. "It's getting dark. You should all probably stay in the bunker tonight- get a good night's sleep before going out. Fundy whitelisted the place too, so there's no worries there."

Well, that was good for the other guys. Techno slept last night, which means he wouldn't need to sleep for another week _at least._ He'll just keep watch.

That was before he felt how _soft_ the bed was.

Well, _technically,_ yesterday's nap wasn't actually sleeping. With a cloak for a blanket and a shoulder for a pillow, how could _anyone_ count that as sleeping?! Techno definitely couldn't. Yeah, he'll definitely need a makeup day for yesterday. Yesterday didn't count.

Who was he fooling? Himself, apparently, because it worked and he fell asleep minutes after laying down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? They DID plan ahead!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is Phil a vending machine selling lore? I should probably explain that. Well, here you go!  
> Also, Sunday two chapters pog?

Phil counted himself lucky. He's had plenty of years where he could practice his own hobbies without being pressured to do something else. Hardcore was a 24-7 task, but as the months went on it got easier, and he found himself with extra time often.

So he started reading.

He didn't have much at first. Just the books in the villages. He read them all three times over, wrote five books of his own, and found a single potions book in a witch hut before looking for more.

He didn't find any. There were no new villages to loot or huts to scavenge. He had nothing else to read, which sucked, since the books were all lore heavy and he loved shit like that. They were written by villagers, so they weren't really _detailed,_ but they got his mind running with questions and ideas.

Then he found the stronghold.

The first time he went inside he almost immediately found the portal and went through to kill the dragon. It took him another week before he went back to search the place.

Two libraries. _Two._ Each with two floors, each positively _filled_ with books.

It took him two weeks to move all the books back to his base. The first week was just building a building _big_ enough to hold all of them safely. He made over fifty trips before he finally carried the last book back.

He didn't leave the building for _months_ after that.

The stronghold books were much more informed then the villager books. They went into more detail about the creation of the world, the nether, the end. It explained each god, what they looked like, what they represent and what temple was who's. Phil almost got a headache from the amount of new information he got.

So yes, he counted himself lucky, because apparently even _admins_ didn't know some of the things he knew. His knowledge, though mostly useless, did help in situations like the one he found himself in now. 

When morning came, the group restocked on supplies before heading out. Punz and Eret stayed with Fundy (who was healing slowly but surely) and Tommy and Tubbo stayed back to wait for the admins. The trip in the nether was easy, even though Techno's never journeyed through the new nether before. He yelped when a piglin attacked him, which cause Phil to die of laughter before giving him a gold helmet.

Since the nether was basically fast travel, they made good time and reached the desert in half a day. They found a temple by nightfall and slept inside so they could do the summoning in the morning.

The ritual itself wasn't hard, either. Dream said a couple words, Techno did a twirl, and George threw sand up into the air. The sand didn't fall, instead floating midair. The ground shook, and more sand flew from around them to form a whirlpool. After a moment, the sand fell down to show a new person.

The man reminded Phil of a mummy, wrapped in tan cloth from head to toe, with only his eyes showing. Wrapped around his wrist was strips of some type of wrapping, like gauze. The man huffed, floating. "I was in the middle of-" he opened his eyes, catching who was actually in the room. He narrowed his eyes at Dream. _"You."_

The god disappeared, reappearing right in front of Dream. He placed a finger on Dream's chest, and the admin flinched back in pain. _"Your goddess owes-"_

He couldn't get any further, since Techno had summoned Dream's axe and had slotted it in between them. At the same time, George, who was closest, pulled Dream back. "Back up, nerd."

The god blinked at Techno. His face changed, and even with the wrapping his smile was easy to see. "Technoblade! Pleasure to finally meet you! Oh am I _glad_ you came to find me!"

Phil's known Techno for a long time. He can read the man better than anyone else could. He knew Techno was confused, even though his mask did a good job hiding it. "Hah?"

The god clapped his hands, and sand trickled from his fingers. "I knew you'd come looking eventually! I mean, who'd _actually_ want Nether as their god? I'm _much_ better, _he_ just got to you first. Now I admit I was a _tad_ bit _aggressive,_ you know, with the stealing your powers thing, but Nether _deserved it!"_

"Wait." His group seemed very confused, but Phil might've been starting to get it. " _You're_ the reason why Techno is only half admin?"

The god shrugged. "It was an accident." He said. "I got a little mad- I found him first, Nether just blessed him first! I had to find someone else to bless, and then I had to deal with Nether and Endie _gloating_ about their new admins and I thought, 'well _I'm_ not going to be the only one upset here' and-"

"You know what?" Techno interrupted. "I don't care right now. Look, the nerd you blessed a few decades ago is terrible, and we need you to transfer his powers to me so he can't use them anymore. That cool?"

"Hmm." The god floated closer to him, looking him up and down while rubbing his chin. "I can do that, but I'll need you to denounce Nether for me."

"What?" Dream blinked. "You don't need to denounce your god to transfer powers."

And if what Phil read is correct, that was kind of painful. Admins aren't really connected to their gods, besides some personality traits, but he knows that spiritually they're connected. The admins are a bit dependent on their god, and either denouncing their god or their god denouncing them is mentally painful.

"It's not." The god agreed. "I just want to get back at Nether. Denounce him and call me your new god, and I'll transfer-"

He couldn't finish, because out of _nowhere_ a fire exploded into life behind the god. The ground seemed to implode, and suddenly two new people had appeared.

The first one Phil saw was the man. He was striking in the fact that he was _terrifying._ He looked like the devil, with blood red armor and dark red skin- burgundy horns peeking out of curly auburn hair. Phil caught his fire orange eyes for a moment, and he could practically _feel_ Techno's interest rise. Phil's never seen someone that was _completely_ Techno's type before. The guy _looked_ like the god of death and power, the nether god.

The woman next to him was scary in her own right. She wasn't wearing armor, instead in a purple bodysuit. In one hand she held a large black scythe, and her other hand was glowing purple like dragon's breath. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, showcasing her glowing purple eyes.

The two shared a glance, before glaring at the desert god. _"What."_ The nether god hissed. _"Do you think,_ **_you're doing?"_ **

The desert god pouted. "I'm getting back what's rightfully mine." He huffed. "I found him first, finders keepers!"

"Firstly-" What Phil could only _assume_ was the end god (goddess-) stepped forward, scythe swiping the ground, causing sparks. "-these are _people_ you're talking about. Secondly, _your admin is threatening_ **_my_ ** _admin, and you won't help without something being in it for you?"_

The desert god rolled his eyes. "Stop being so prissy, this isn't about you."

"This _became_ about me when _your admin attacked mine!"_

Phil looked at the two admins in the room. Unlike the others (who had grouped together) the two were frozen in awe, staring at the two new gods in shock. Phil thinks their brains just short circuited.

Was this normal when admins first meet their god?

The desert god glared. "When did you two get so chummy in the first place?" He snarled. "Think you're so important cause you created the endgame?"

Phil thinks the god is just reaching now, because even _he_ knows that the Nether and End god stick close together. He's read it in multiple of his books. Was he trying to get even _more_ of a rise out of them?

"You're just jealous you only have a temple to your name." The nether god rumbled. "Could never get over your greed."

_"I found him first!"_

"Shut up, you _didn't!"_ The end goddess raised her scythe, and the desert god shrunk back. "You found him the day Nether decided to bless him. Nether had him chosen _two months_ before that day!"

The desert god made a sound of denial, and Phil was honestly with him there. As far as he knows admins are blessed _days_ after they're born. Why did the nether god wait so long? "You expect me to believe Nether waited that long?"

"I had to." Nether growled. "Oceania wanted to bless him. We had to fight." A sword made of fire appeared in his hand. _"Guess who won."_

"Okay, wait." It was Sapnap who finally spoke up. "Not to get in the middle of you guys- gods, but does this really matter? I didn't know you guys even _cared."_

The gods stared at him, and Phil was ready to try and protect the younger man, but then the end goddess' eyes went soft. "Of course we care." She said. "That's why we're always creating new things for you to explore. We care for our admins as well, we just have so many- it isn't fair to pick favorites." She glared at the desert god.

"Why would you think we didn't?" The nether god added on, face inquisitive. "Have we done something to make you think so?"

Sapnap snorted. "The respawn glitch, for one."

All three gods froze, as if something forbidden had been spoken of. "We're- we're working on it." The goddess murmured, scythe twitching in her hand.

"That's not important right now." The nether god cut in. He appeared in front of the desert god, sword pressed against his neck. "Transfer the powers, or else you'll be stuck with no head for the next year."

The desert god gulped, snapping his fingers before disappearing in a vortex of sand. The nether god sighed, lowering and vanishing his blade. "It's done."

"Really?" Techno asked, the first time he's said _anything_ since the god appeared. Phil thought he still looked a little star-struck. "I don't feel different."

The Nether god said something in the same gruttal language Dream had spoken in a few days ago. Techno shrugged. "I guess, but doesn't that mean-" he paused. "That was enchanted, wasn't it?"

The end goddess laughed. "I'm sorry we haven't been… approachable, in the last hundred years or so. We've been busy with… something important."

"It's, uh-" Dream shifted, wincing. "It's cool."

His goddess frowned, moving forward. She raised her glowing hand, and a plume of purple magic engulfed both Dream and Techno. Phil shouted, concerned, but then the magic was gone and they were fine. "I can't heal damage done by admin weapons, but I can numb the pain and accelerate the healing process."

"End." The Nether god murmured, and she turned towards him. His eyes were serious. _"Remember what we were doing."_

The goddess nodded, turning back to them. "We have to go now." She stepped back, brushing shoulders with the other god. "I'm sorry we can't be more forthcoming, but do not worry. We'll figure it out."

A black portal appeared underneath them, and they vanished.

Phil could only stare at where they just were.

_What the fuck just happened?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love my little made up gods. They're actually kind of important too. Well, no, not actually. They are important lol  
> Next chapter later today!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 420 kudos pog!

The admin shows himself on their way to the nether portal home.

He's soaking wet and covered in little puffer fish spikes. Dream couldn't help the wheeze that came out of him at the sight of it. The admin growled. "Once I'm done here, your friends will pay for this."

Was _this_ the trap Punz and Eret had planned? _Perfect._ Then Dream realized that was a threat and he frowned. "You won't be doing anything else on my server."

The admin cackled. "Like you can stop me!"

Code chains burst through the ground, flying towards him. Techno steps forward, cutting the chains with Dream's axe. "How does he still have powers?" He whispered.

"It must be because you were half admin!" Phil hissed back, confusion dancing in his eyes. "It switched, you're full admin and he's half now!"

Great. _Just great._

Actually, that _is_ great. If Techno didn't know he was an admin, and couldn't read enchanted, then that meant the admin's _only_ power was control over the chains. He couldn't do anything else.

"6v1? Just like before." The admin tsked, and Dream was frankly done with him bringing up _fairness_ of all things. "You can never have a fair fight, can you Dream? Well, I call for a system restore!"

The sky darkened. Dream blinked. _Uh oh._

A system restore wasn't as scary as it sounded. When an admin calls for a system restore, that admin, and every admin on the server, is transported _into_ the server code. Their job in there is to figure out the bug or glitch hurting the code and get rid of it, essentially _restoring_ the system.

The thing was, a rogue admin counts as a bug. Dream won't be able to leave until he defeats the admin. What the admin doesn't know, though, is that Techno is actually an admin as well. Lying about his admin status was actually _very_ smart, he wish he came up with it. 

His friends were shouting, worried. System restores rarely ever happen, but they're still common knowledge no matter what server. Especially because when a restore is going on, a notification pops up to everyone on the server and no monsters can spawn. Time is also slower, if Dream is correct. He's only been in one restore before- when he was, like, _5_ and the admin of his server called it. He was the only other one who appeared, and the admin took his time showing little Dream around the code so he knew how to handle a restore if he ever needed to do one himself.

He guessed now was the time.

The admin gave a mocking salute before a beam of glowing light engulfed his form. Dream smiled at his friends, trying to calm them with just a look, before the same light came for him.

The server code was always interesting for him.

When it's happy and healthy, it's like enchanted- white with a blue glow. When it's corrupted or hurt, the letters turn black and the glow turns green. It was weird to see, considering the background in the server code was black- so black that you couldn't tell where the room ended. He's happy to see, though, that even with the rogue admin running around there was not a single piece of glowing green code anywhere.

He glared at the admin, who chuckled. The man raised a hand, fingers gliding through code. Code chains emerged, wrapping around the man’s hand in a caressing manner. “It’s just you and me now-”

There was another flash of light. Techno falls to the floor like a bag of bricks. He sits up, shaking his head to clear it. “Hallo.”

The admin stares. _“...What?!”_

Dream can’t help himself. He laughs, and suddenly he’s clutching his stomach and rolling along the floor, wheezing. He catches his breath just in time to see Techno and the admin glance at each other, equally confused.

That sends him over the edge.

“Dream.” His friend says, deadpan. “Now is not really the time.”

“For once we agree.” The admin said, and suddenly he was attacking Techno with his admin weapon and Dream didn’t find it funny anymore. He went in to help, going for his sword, before realizing one key problem.

He was in the server code. In the server code, _everything else was code._

It took him a second to realize. Their armor was gone, their normal weapons and food as well. In the server code, you don’t lose hunger and you don’t need to sleep. It's made that way so admins can stay as long as they need to fix the problem. The only thing still usable is an admin weapon.

The admin seemed to realize that at the same time, and they both looked at Techno, who _still had_ Dream’s axe. Dream had just enough foresight to jump back, which definitely saved his life. The admin switched targets, swiping with his sword. While he missed, the sudden movement made Dream wince, hand instinctively going to his chest. He ducked under the back swing, rolling to the side.

“Dream!” He glanced Techno’s way, and the other admin threw him his axe. He caught it, the momentum making the blade scrape against the floor, causing sparks. Hauling it back up, he looked at it. The blade hummed in his hand, as if saying hello. He grinned, eyes sharp behind his mask.

"Attacking an unarmed man." He tsks, swinging the axe in a wide arch just because _he_ _could._ "I expected better from you."

Then he darted forward, bringing his axe up and cleaving down. The admin blocked it with his sword, and the sound it caused vibrated the entire room. He pushed back, and Dream was thrown from the admin.

He dug his back heel into the ground, using his shoes to cause friction to slow him down. Twisting, he lunged forward, doing the same move again. When the admin blocked it, Dream kneed the man in the stomach.

The admin, in a gut reaction, jumped back, sword swiping at Dream's feet. That forced Dream to do the same, but he used the motion to hop back towards him, aiming his axe at the admin's hand. The admin, of course, jerked back, and Dream followed him, aiming a fist at his face.

The admin caught it, shifting to the side and pulling Dream forward. While he couldn't maneuver his sword in a way that would harm Dream, he could plant his hand on Dream's chest and flip him over his shoulder. He slammed into the ground, gasping for air as his entire upper body _screamed._ Gods, that _hurt._

Wait, didn't Techno get the admin with Dream's axe? _Oh yeah._

Dream rolled, and the admin's sword cut into cloth instead of flesh. He swept the man's legs, pulling him to the ground. Both of them dropped their weapons as they fell, and neither of them summoned it back. That meant the fight was about to get _dirty._

Well, hopefully, the fight was about to be _over._ Dream lunged, placing a palm on the man's forehead and pushing down, slamming the man's head into the ground. With his other hand, he grabbed the admin's injured shoulder and _squeezed._

The sound of pain he heard gave him a worrying amount of pleasure.

Then the admin kicked him in the chest and _wow oh my gods it's agony-_

He fell back, scrambling up. His axe vanished from where it lay and reappeared in his hand. The admin did the same, and they both stared.

Dream panted, happy that his mask hid the pain. He… he could take him. It'd take a bit, and he might not survive, but he _could-_

Across from him, Techno still had his hand out. Something was flickering in and out in his grip. For a second, it had the outline of a sword. Then, one of a crossbow.

Dream remembered the first time he summoned his admin weapon. At first, it was a sword, but then after the first day it started appearing as an axe. Back then, axes didn’t do more damage than swords, so it always confused him. Then, the new update came out and suddenly axes weren’t just a new weapon, but an _important_ one against shielded opponents.

Still, he hasn’t seen a weapon switch between tools like that before. And a crossbow? He’s never seen a ranged admin weapon before. People probably had them, but they were not common. And why isn’t it a normal bow? Techno doesn’t seem like the type to like the crossbow more than the bow.

The weapon solidified in his hand, a crossbow, and suddenly Dream knew why.

_“We should ask them to add rockets to our duel.”_

_“What? Why?”_

_“Some guy told me that they’re really powerful.”_

_“Doesn’t that kind of defeat the point?”_

_“If I’m going to die, I’d want it to be in a big colorful explosion.”_

You weren't supposed to be able to choose what form your admin weapon takes. It’s a part of you, so it takes the form most suited to you. If Dream could guess, Techno _somehow_ used the fact that the weapon was new and unstable to switch it to _a bloody rocket launcher._ His actual weapon is probably the sword it was earlier. Dream wasn’t sure, and all honestly didn’t care, because right now he was _way_ too close to the admin.

Techno leveled the crossbow at the admin, rocket notched. Dream dove out of the way.

There was a second of silence. Then something _loud_ left his ears ringing and suddenly his back was scorched with blaring heat from behind. There might of been screaming, behind the ringing in his ears.

Dream stood, dusting himself off. The code around him came closer, as if scared and wanting comfort. Dream patted a bunch of numbers with his hand, unsure, before waving them back. Luckily, they had been fighting in an area void of code, but if they accidentally destroyed code while fighting the server could become unstable.

The ball of gunpowder settled. The admin had moved, barely missing the epicenter of the explosion. Burns covered the side of his face, making it glitch and leak code in a way that almost had Dream gagging. Techno smirked, pleased.

“This-” The admin coughed. “This _really_ isn’t fair-”

“Shut the fuck up.” Dream was done with his fairness _and_ his deals. He was done with the monologuing as well. “No one gives a shit.” He stepped forward, into the admin’s space. Placing his axe under his neck, he scowled. “You’re lucky I’m not killing you right now.” He _so wanted too,_ but he wasn't the type to kill someone who couldn't fight back.

“And you’re unlucky that _I_ am.”

Before Dream could speak up (but was he _really_ going to stop him?) Techno had swung his weapon -now a sword- and the blade cut cleanly through the admin’s neck. For a singular second, he looked surprised.

Then his head popped off his shoulders like a cheesy horror movie.

It landed on the ground with a _thump,_ sliding across the ground slightly from the blood pooling out of it’s severed neck. Dream jumped back as the head came a little too close to his foot. The blood that squirted out of the wound landed on his hoodie, and he glared at his friend. “You couldn’t have waited until I was just a _little_ farther away?”

It's over.

“Better not to wait.” Techno shrugged. “Besides, the nether god was kinda screaming in my ear to kill him.”

Dream blinked, taking in that information slowly, because _what? They can do that-_ no, that didn’t matter right now. “Was any of the code destroyed?”

Techno looked around. “Not that I saw.”

It's over.

Dream sighed in relief, and the coded room around them started to hum, signifying that the system restore was complete. Dream stored his axe as another bright light blinded him, and suddenly he was right next to George, making the man scream in fright. _“Dream!”_

 _And_ he was wheezing again.

_It's over._

“Is he dead?” Wilbur asked Techno, since it was obvious that Dream wasn’t going to answer _any_ questions right now. Laughing as much as he was probably wasn’t a good sign to his friends- he was going to make them think he was crazy, but he couldn’t help himself. The admin was _dead,_ his friends were _safe,_ no one else was _dead-_

_It's over._

“He’s dead.” Techno confirmed as George and Sapnap tried to help Dream up. Laughing _hurt,_ and he really should stop, but he’s exhausted and edging on a breakdown he could _not_ have right now.

A hand rested on his shoulder, and he paused. He couldn’t really tell which one of his friends he was looking at right now- his sight had gone blurry, but they had a look of concern. They were worried, and Dream realized that it was _over,_ the admin was _dead._

His chest stung in phantom and real pain. 

_It's over._

“I need to contact Scott.” He murmured. “I’m sitting the next MCC out.”

There was a chorus of agreements from everyone around them, besides Techno, who just shrugged. Dream opened up the code, turned on admin commands, and teleported them home.

**_It's over._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha sure it is Dream...  
> Dude Magpie guessed that Techno would use a crossbow in CHAPTER 14! How?!? I thought I was being sly and clever with that but then they just up and guessed it! Nothing's ever a surprise anymore!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of the end?

“I cannot _believe_ you just did that.”

Techno shrugged, never one for roleplay. “I was being peer pressured, Tommy. I’m not good in social situations.”

Tommy would find that funny if he wasn’t _actually_ a bit pissed. “You tried to kill Tubbo!”

“I did _not.”_ Techno gestured to the boy. “I threw a few _nonlethal_ rockets at him. _There's a difference.”_

Techno had _very_ lethal rockets as well, he could've used those if he really wanted to. Not to mention the fact that because he messed with his admin weapon when it first formed, it was now stuck in a weird limbo where it could change in between a sword (it's actual form) and a crossbow (what Techno forced it to be). He asked Dream about it when he first realized he could switch it, but Dream was just as clueless as him.

Eh, he probably broke something. Wouldn't be the first time.

 _“I don’t care!”_ Tommy really should care, he already lost Wilbur, he couldn’t afford to lose Techno too. But Tubbo came first, always. The boy stood next to him, already healed from what occurred at the festival. He looked more shocked than anything else. “You _betrayed_ us! You don’t belong here!”

Techno snorted. “You really think you can take Manburg down without me?” They probably couldn’t but Tommy would be damned before he stopped trying.

The others realized this too. “Tommy…” Tubbo cut in, and Niki kept glancing at Wilbur. To be honest, everyone was shocked that the man decided to go down a corruption arc, but hey, it made it more fun.

They couldn’t blow up the TNT without _both_ Techno and Dream on the scene though. With the new people whitelisted, Dream made Techno a co-admin, giving him some power in exchange for helping him keep the server maintained. He didn’t have access to ‘god mode’, as Techno called it, but he could teleport and the like. Dream didn’t want Wilbur to blow anything up without both of them there, since Dream wasn’t sure he could teleport all of the new people in time before the TNT detonated. 

Wilbur finally cut in. “Well, _I_ forgive you, Techno.” He grinned, and Techno was unnerved with how well he could play the villain. The thing was, Techno _knew_ he was joking. He didn’t want to harm or kill anyone. Techno, on the other hand… “We all knew you just joined for the chaos. I’ll give you that, even if you're not on our side.”

Well, that wasn’t _technically_ true. He joined because Hypixel was starting to bore him, and Phil was still doing hardcore, and why not? The SMP was a clout machine, playing on it brought him more recognition than even the Championships.

He didn’t miss his friends. That definitely wasn’t it.

Techno grinned. “I do love me some anarchy.”

“I knew you’d see it my way. We can’t lose!” Wilbur threw his hands up. “You know why? We have the literal god of this world on our side!”

Techno paused. He stared. And then he was laughing.

Ah, he’s _terrible_ at roleplay.

  
  


When Schlatt first rejoined the SMP, after he decided to join the campaign, he ran into Dream. “Just the man I was looking for.”

The masked admin stood in the corner of the Whitehouse, face hidden by shadows. “Why’d you come back?” Was all he said.

The business man shrugged. “I have some ideas to liven up the place.” His grin was strained. “And I have some people to check up on.”

He had heard what happened. Wilbur told him, during one of the rare times they met up and chatted. He had a few admin friends himself, but he’d never heard of an admin doing something like that. It worried him, seeing his friend in such a state.

Dream studied him, and Schlatt shifted. He knew he wasn’t the safest person to be on a server with- he can’t even swim, and unlike what some thought, that _wasn’t_ a bit. He could easily endanger his friends by accident, and with everything that happened, he wasn’t surprised that Dream was cautious. “What are these ideas of yours?”

Schlatt grinned. Having Dream on board would probably make this a bit more safe _and_ interesting. “It has to do with the election.” He started. “And if we do this right, I can rope Technoblade into joining too.”

That got his interest. Dream is a man who likes analytics, and Techno was great at raising them. “I’m listening…”

  
  


Sapnap sat in his dark oak wood containment cube, chuckling to himself. Tubbo and Fundy had gone inside for the time being, leaving him to his own devices. Dreamon hunters, was the bit. He doesn’t know _how_ Dream managed to create another version of himself, but it was pretty neat.

Speaking of another version…

“They really left you down here all alone? No armor or anything?”

It was Dream, but also not. A duplicate that didn’t look completely there. Sapnap suddenly remembered when the admin did that, luring them away from what he was actually doing. 

The man shivered before throwing the thought away. “Chill, they’re just in the tent.”

“Be a little louder, why don’t you?” The duplicate hissed, and Sap sighed. Dream was a lot more paranoid after the admin fiasco. He wished he could help his friend feel better, but nothing he or George did seemed to help. “They’re hunting _me,_ you know.”

“How’d you do this anyway?” He asked. “The splitting thing?”

“Plugin I made.” Dream murmured. “The real me is trying to convince Skeppy to give me a room in their house right now.”

“Really?” He perked up. “It’s nice, right?”

“Surprisingly so, considering Skeppy made it.” Dream smiled. “Bad probably helped a lot.”

There was movement inside the tent. Dream glanced up. “Do you want me to get you out?”

Sapnap gave him a genuine smile to calm him. “I’m fine. Stop worrying and enjoy yourself, Dreamon.”

He still frowned. “Why are you here, anyway?”

“They called me over.” Sapnap shrugged. “I might join them, if they allow it.”

He chuckled, and the tent suddenly quieted. The next time Dream spoke, it was a joking whisper. “Don’t you _dare_ join them.”

Sapnap looked at him. He smiled. Then he yelled. “THE DREAMON IS HERE! HE’S TRAPPED IN HERE WITH ME!”

When Tubbo and Fundy came outside in a rush, they found Dream chasing Sapnap around the small hole, the former trying to clobber him as the latter cackled.

“Well.” Fundy paused. “They’re kinda trapped down there. We can just come back later.”

Tubbo considered it. They shrugged. “We need crossbows anyway.”

Dream caught Sapnap, and the younger man wailed. The two dreamon hunters walked away whistling as the sounds of bloody murder continued on behind them.

  
  


All servers had code. Everyone knew that.

What they didn’t know was that the space between servers had code too.

That code was vast and had infinite possibilities. People who could access that code, if smart enough, could create things _bigger_ than plugins- mods. Most people, though, didn’t even know it existed.

The gods like it that way. It was their home, after all. They liked the privacy.

This code acted a lot like a regular world, with all the different biomes and regions too. The unique thing about it, though, was that it had things that weren’t seen anywhere else. Things that were being worked on.

Things for a new update.

“FUCK IT ALL!”

The goddess of the end turned to look at the nether god. He was fiddling with a squid that was _supposed_ to be glowing, but he seemed to be having problems. The goddess quirked an eyebrow. “You alright over there?”

“WHY AM _I_ THE ONE MAKING THE GLOW SQUID? I AM LITERALLY THE _LEAST_ QUALIFIED PERSON FOR THIS! I DON’T EVEN _**HAVE** _WATER IN MY REALM!”

A nearby tree caught on fire. The goddess sighed, putting it out and petting the axolotl in her lap. The creature purred, and she grinned, ignoring the other god. It was better to just let the god yell it out.

“THEY WOULDN’T LET ME WORK ON THE RAVAGER, THE GUARDIANS, AND NOW THE WARDEN! THEY BARELY LET ME _TOUCH_ THE WITHER, AND THAT'S ONE OF MY OWN! WHY WON'T THEY LET ME REACH MY FULL POTENTIAL?!”

The goddess could think of multiple reasons. Firstly, the last time they let the nether god create a hostile mob he created a shark and _that_ will never see the light of day. Secondly, the nether god, no matter what he said, was good at creating passive mobs. 

He created the rabbit. And the parrot.

“Have you checked in on your admins lately?” She asked, just to get him on a different subject.

It seemed to work. “Eh, not really.” The god shrugged, as if he wasn't setting things on fire with his rage seconds ago. “I checked on the one I fought Oceania and Desert for a few days ago. He’s back to potatoes.”

End perked up, knowing the one he was talking about. “Ah, yes, I remember him. I checked in on his friend a bit ago as well. They seemed to have gotten over what happened.” Mostly.

The nether god frowned. “Something didn’t add up about that.”

She had felt it too. “Desert worries me.”

“You think it was him?”

“There's _no_ reason for an admin to turn into a hunter.” The goddess glared at nothing. “Besides, we’re _supposed_ to only choose those worthy. Don’t you find it strange that a desert chosen went after one of ours first?”

They had never been good friends, the nether, end, and desert. They, being realms, stayed close together. The woods and jungle always went around together, and the ocean and desert, two of the more _nasty_ ones, stuck close. That’s how it’s always been. When End was younger, Desert was nicer, but as she grew whatever influenced his politeness disappeared. He threatened her admin just because End accidently destroyed a new type of creeper he was working on. Firstly, it was mostly Nether's fault, secondly, it wasn't so important that Desert should've been mad at her admin for it! He's just salty, really.

Nether laughed. “Desert doesn’t have the balls to do that purposefully.”

“That's the problem.” End whispered, a bad feeling settling in her chest. “I don’t know if it was his plan in the first place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, no. The real story's just begun...  
> This chapter was basically an epilogue for this part of the story, that's why its cut up like this. Also, everyone needs a break, I think.


	20. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a divider, it doesn’t have any story relevance, just some meta info, so you can skip if you want.  
> Also, I think I'm going to change the title of this to Gods and Admins.

**End of Part 1, _To Taunt a God_**

**Beginning of Part 2, _To Tempt a Demon_**

_Meta Information Below_

* * *

**To Taunt a God**

Summary 

"Respawning was a tricky business in the new updates. No one but the gods knew why it became more glitchy as time went on, they just knew it was best to avoid dying at any cost. They didn't want to chance the respawn glitch and die permanently.

No one would've ever thought that someone would use that glitch to their advantage, but when a strange admin joins the server without permission, they'll realize that not everyone has good intentions."

19 Chapters

41k words

Multiple POVs

**To Tempt a Demon**

Summary  _(I’ll put this on the first chapter of the next part too)-_

"Dreamon hunting is just a fun joke, Tubbo knew that. Everyone knew that. It was just a thing he and Fundy decided to do one day.

Demons, on the other hand- Tubbo knew those were real, and they were a problem if left alone. But they'll be fine, demons only appeared on servers where negative emotions ran rampant, like anarchy servers. Their small server was safe.

They were not safe."

New tags- Demon, Dreamon, angst (I should’ve added this one sooner), hurt/comfort (Should've added _this_ one sooner too) Bad coping methods (coughDream _cough_ )

Tubbo’s POV

The main reason this story exists is to build up familial dynamics cause I’m a sucker for them. Also, I watched the dreamon hunter video and decided _yes,_ yes I must.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We ain't finished yet boys!  
> I was gonna separate this into different stories in the same series, but I decided, what the heck, why not just smash them together? Makes it easier for me, at least.  
> Also, there's more then two parts to this story ;P This is also the only chapter I'm posting today, it's kinda of a breaking point so that I have more time to finish the parts of the story I haven't written yet.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dreamon hunting is just a fun joke, Tubbo knew that. Everyone knew that. It was just a thing he and Fundy decided to do one day.  
> Demons, on the other hand- Tubbo knew those were real, and they were a problem if left alone. But they'll be fine, demons only appeared on servers where negative emotions ran rampant, like anarchy servers. Their small server was safe.
> 
> They were not safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo Tubbo Tubbo Tubbo _Tubbo-_

Tubbo was born on a rp server. The thing about his server, though, was that it was a _serious_ rp server. As in, Tubbo didn’t even _know_ it was an rp server. He was in the dark from the moment he was born till he turned 12 and his parents randomly told him one day.

Needless to say, _he wasn’t impressed._

He spent a day contemplating running away, before realizing he had nowhere to go and he’s never been out of the server. Giving up on that idea quickly, he decided to go on a walk instead.

The walk, like everything else in his life, was eventful.

A man from his village ran up to him while he walked along the wood line. The man was panting, face white as a ghost and even though Tubbo _knew_ he was rp'ing, he felt like something was wrong. “Demon!”

“De- what?” Tubbo’s known the man since he could crawl into the bakery and snatch the man’s cake. He trusted him, and he looked _scared._ “A what?!”

“There was a demon!” The baker looked back and forth, every which way, as if waiting for something to come out and snatch him. “He’s coming, _he’s coming!”_

Tubbo, who had just learned about rp’ing and was still _a bit_ upset about it, glared. “I’m not in the mood for playing pretend.”

 _“No!”_ The baker screeched. “It’s real!” His head jerked to the side. _“There!”_

Tubbo turned, and-

_Rageful eyes wispy form darkness death rage he’s in danger he's going to die-_

He screamed.

No one in the village believed him.

The baker went around, ranting and raving about a demon, but the other villagers treated it like a new story. They didn’t think he was being truthful, no matter how much the baker said he wasn’t roleplaying. Tubbo didn’t blame them- the baker was always making up crazy stories that Tubbo _used_ to think were real but now knows aren’t. It reminded him of the boy who cried wolf, and if he didn’t see it himself he wouldn’t believe the baker either.

But he did see it. And it scared him.

  
  


“Dreamons hate dark oak wood.” Fundy was explaining to Sapnap. “That’s why we put you in the cage first.”

“Really?” Sapnap asked, and Tubbo’s half certain the man just woke up from how drowsy he was. “So if we push a dreamon down there, they’re trapped.”

“Yes yes yes!” Tubbo nodded. To be honest, they weren't expecting Dream to go along with the bit so well, so Tubbo was pleasantly surprised with how far this story could go. Speaking of Dream… “Hey Sap, is Dream doing good?”

Tubbo’s pretty close to the admin, but not as close as Sapnap. The man frowned. “I’m not sure.”

Tubbo frowned. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a shadow shift between the trees. He _knows_ it's not from a player or mob.

He pretends not to see.

Time passes. The festival comes and goes. While Tubbo didn’t expect a rocket to the face, it was loud and colorful _and kind of fun._ Tommy threw a fit, and Tubbo just signed, finding a place in Pogtopia to set up a room. He had a feeling something like this would happen eventually, he just hoped Wilbur or Tommy thought ahead and already set up some extra rooms.

They had, kind of. If a clear out storage room counted. They had an extra room, which he gave to Niki, and then an empty storage room because they were _poor._ Tubbo took it, made a quick bed, and promptly fell asleep.

And he dreamed.

 _Dark and cold and wet he can’t breathe why can’t he breathe it’s all icy and suffocating and why couldn’t he_ **_breathe-_ **

He shot up, gasping for breath. His ears were ringing, and he felt light headed. Was he actually _not_ breathing? A hand came up to his chest- his heart was beating fast. It hurt.

_That wasn’t a normal dream…_

Sighing, Tubbo got out of bed, deciding that they’d rather not sleep anymore tonight. The boy grabbed some armour and a sword, dragging his feet along. A walk would be nice.

He went along the underground path, popping out in _Manburg_ and heading towards Tommy’s old house. The place hadn’t been changed much from the last time it had really been used. Tubbo shivered, remembering it a little too vividly.

He continued on, stopping for a second to look out at the duck on the horizon before turning and going further down the path. His eyes caught something, and he paused.

The little hidey hole that hid Dream’s base was covered in iron doors- a prank someone did that Tubbo found both hilarious and kind of rude. That wasn’t what got him, though.

The ground was wet and damp, and he could see water coming out of his base.

_Dark and cold and wet he couldn’t breathe-_

Before he realized what he was doing he was running, jumping off the path and sprinting forward, weaving between doors. He dropped his sword, crouching down to look inside the tunnel of the base.

_It was completely flooded._

Tubbo cursed, shedding his armor and diving inside. He wasn’t the best swimmer, but he had a great lung capacity and that had to count for something. His knees scraped against the floor as he shimmied his way through the tunnel and emerged in Dream’s base.

The entire place was flooded, and Tubbo blinked, eyes adjusting to the light level and water. Dream was sleeping, floating a few inches above his bed. He was wearing a mask (which was concerning-) but Tubbo could see his skin turning blue and purple.

Kicking his feet, Tubbo swam forward. His hand grabbed onto the fabric of Dream’s hoodie and twisted, planting his feet on the closest wall and pushing Dream forward. Using that momentum, he pushed forward, swimming to the exit while pulling the sleeping admin with him

Why hadn’t he woken up yet?

There was a second where Tubbo jerked, hand touching cold ice, before he grinned, planting his feet and using the ice to slide forward.

His head broke through water and he tugged, bringing Dream with him. The moment his head was out of water, he shot up and gasped. The admin sputtered, clawing off his mask to breathe better. 

His eyes were glowing. Tubbo knew what that meant.

There’s only one reason for an admin to accidentally use their powers- when they think they’re in danger. It confirmed Tubbo’s suspicions.

Something was wrong. _Really wrong._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is no chapter 20, and NO I did not make a mistake. I'm skipping chapter 20 cause it's technically just Part 2. I want to keep the chapter number lined up with the chapter title. 
> 
> Also I'm not going to upload tomorrow. The US election added with college applications is stressing me tf out and I haven't been writing much because of it, so I'm taking a day to relax so that I don't force myself to write and give you guys something I'm not proud of later along the line (part 3 is a gigantic hurricane right now guys you don't _understand-_ ) I'll update again hopefully on Friday.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Takes one whole day off* MY SKIN HAS CLEARED MY CROPS ARE WATERED AND MY BILLS ARE PAID LESSSSGO!

Every server has a demon. In the beginning, when servers weren't really a thing and everyone was trapped in their own little world, demons didn't really show. They needed to have enough negative emotions to feed off of to show themselves, and just one person wasn't enough. There was only one demon who was strong enough to appear with only _one_ person to feed off of.

But no one believes in Herobrine's tale anymore, so Tubbo can't use that as an example.

There's only one demon per server, since servers can't contain much more than that. They're much more dangerous in big servers since there are more people with negative emotions to feed off of, but that doesn't mean that small servers are safe either. If something bad happens on a small server and everyone is effective negatively, then the server's demon is most likely going to appear soon. That's just how it worked. 

Tubbo knows that just because the admin is gone doesn't mean that people aren't still dealing with the aftermath. Everyone, especially the ones that stayed in this server for longer, had signs of paranoia and anxiety. For the most part Tubbo is okay, he's always been good at dealing with trauma. The others, though, Tubbo doesn't know.

That being said, he should've known that the server's demon would appear in the aftermath of the admin. They were perfect conditions for a demon to grow in power. It didn't matter that this demon was _strangely_ strong for how young it was, he should've prepared, he should've _known._

Admins, of course, are powerful. They are also made differently. If a demon feeds off of an admin's negative thoughts and fear, they'll get stronger faster. Since Dream was the most heavily hit by what happened, Tubbo _should've known_ the demon would target him.

The only good thing about this entire predicament is that the server isn't as small as it used to be. New people unrelated to the ordeal joined the server and without their negativity the demon can't grow as strong as it could if they weren't there. Because, just like how negative thoughts strengthen them, positive thoughts weaken them.

But positivity could only hold it back for so long. He's already giving both Tubbo and Dream nightmares- he'll attack the others soon enough. Tubbo wishes he could tell Dream, but he knows admins don't believe in demons. They aren't a part of the code at all, there's no way they should exist, and Dream would probably just think that it's part of his dreamons bit. He also would tell Tubbo to stop worrying about him, which Tubbo will _not,_ thank you very much.

Instead, he tells Fundy and Sapnap when they meet up the next day for more Dreamon hunting. They don't take the news well.

"I've never heard of real demons before." Fundy crossed his arms. "They're myths."

"I promise they're not." Tubbo sighed. "Look, no more jokes, this is _serious._ Have either of you had nightmares lately?"

They glanced at each other, and Tubbo knew he got them there. "How did you know that?" Sapnap asked.

"Demons cause nightmares." Tubbo explained. "You probably drowned, right? I had that nightmare too, as did Dream."

"Then we should tell him about this!" Fundy said. "A server demon? I feel like the admin of the server should know about it."

But, just like Tubbo thought, Dream didn't believe it. "Herobrine was a myth." He said, and Tubbo bit their lip. "Server demons are stories to scare children. Believe me, they're not real."

"How are you so sure?" Sapnap asked, and Tubbo's eyes jerked to the side, where a shadow of a tree was shifting in the breeze.

"I can go through the code of the entire server and not find a _single_ line about demons." Dream crossed his arms. "Admins have been searching and researching demons for years and haven't found a single piece of evidence. _They aren't real."_

But Tubbo knew he was wrong. _He's seen one before._

It didn't matter, anyway. They'd destroy the thing with or without Dream's help. Cause no matter what Dream said, _they weren't fine,_ and their nightmare said it all. He had it, Tubbo had it, Sapnap and Fundy had it. They all drowned, but it wasn't _just_ that. Someone held their heads underwater while they slowly suffocated.

And when Tubbo looked up at his killer, the admin looked back down at him.

  
  


"You sure this is how it works?"

Tubbo nodded, pricking his finger on the spectral arrow. Like he predicted, the arrow caused him to glow. He grabbed a piece of lapis and dug the arrow into it. "There was a demon hunter on my older server." He explained. "I thought he was roleplaying at first, but he got rid of that server's demon and taught me how. Did you get the blood?"

Fundy nodded, holding a bottle of glittering dark blue-green blood, the color of an ender eye. Endermen's blood. "Where should I set it?"

"Near Bad and Skeppy's house, where we did it the first time." Tubbo said, looking at the arrow. The tip was now coated in lapis. "I'm sure it's following Dream around, so if we do the ritual where we did the fake one it shouldn't be suspicious."

"Wait." Sapnap frowned, taking the arrow as Tubbo made extras. "Why's it following Dream?"

Tubbo knew he wouldn't like this. "They usually follow people with a lot of negative thoughts and emotions, since they feed off of it. When it comes from an admin, it's even stronger."

They all went quiet. He knew Sapnap would take it personally- he's spent a lot of time trying to cheer his friend up since the admin was killed. Tubbo considered Dream as a close friend, a brother even (life or death experiences will do that to you-) and it upsetted him as well. He wished he realized how much the admin experience effected him.

"Does-" Fundy sighed, licking his lips. "Does the demon make these emotions and thoughts worse?"

Tubbo nodded, trying to figure out if they should tell them. Probably. "The nightmare we all had? I went on a walk after I woke up, and I passed Dream's base. The nightmare caused him to accidentally use his powers. He flooded his base and almost drowned himself."

The silence was loud and Tubbo shivered, even though the sun was blaring down on them.

"Well then." Sapnap took out his sword, stabbing the ground and leaving it there. "Let's get this done, I have a demon to skewer."

Tubbo smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. When the demon hunter destroyed the demon of his old server, the demon killed the hunter twice before it finally died, and Tubbo was worried. Fundy and Sapnap seemed confident, and he tried to steal some of their optimism.

But when he went to sleep that night, he dreamt of pain and blood that wasn't his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap: If we don't get rid of this demon soon imma start stabbin' shit!
> 
> Part 3 is still a mess. Until I get that part done, I'm changing to every other day uploads. I'm basically finished with it but it needs mega editing/revising so the every other day uploads won't last for to long. If you have any questions for this part or the whole story in general comment them and I'll reply in the comments as long as it won't majorly spoil something :)  
> Also can the remaining US states please just finish counting the ballots this is giving me mega anxiety.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short Part 2 but I like it anyway :P

"It's going to be hard to convince him when he doesn't believe they're real."

Tubbo waved off Sapnap's worry. "We'll say it's for the Dreamons bit." He explained. "It's safer for him, too- having the duplicate be farther away from him."

In an ironic twist of fate, Tubbo's sure that the demon attached himself to the 'Dreamon', or Dream's duplicate. It would be smart of it, to stay so close to it's primary source of food. That meant, though, that it had a vessel, and you can exorcise a vessel.

The good thing was they didn't need the demon to show itself to exorcise it- they just needed it in the circle of blood. Dream controls his duplicate, if he told it not to wander, and the demon didn't realize anything before it was too late, they could get rid of it and Dream'd be none the wiser.

The chat dinged.

_Sapnap: Dream, us dreamon hunters have a few questions to ask you about your possession_

_Tommy: You got possessed? Pussy_

_Dream: I'll be right there, just give me a second_

_Dream: Shut up Tommy_

Tubbo grinned, before remembering what they were doing and looking at Fundy. "You sure you did the complete circle?"

Fundy nodded, eyes set. "Did two coats and everything. I even lined it with ghast tears."

Tubbo nodded. Ghast tears would completely trap the demon, so even if he wanted to leave he wouldn't be able to. They didn't have enough tears to do it earlier, though, so Tubbo guessed he went and got more.

Sapnap hefted his crossbow, eyes staring at the spectral arrow notched and ready. "And this won't hurt Dream at all, right?"

They shook their head. "I checked the plugin- Dream doesn't feel the duplicate's pain, he'll be fine."

At that moment, Dream came bounding forward, throwing an ender pearl and landing right next to them. "You wanted to talk, Sap?"

"Yep." Tubbo nodded. "Since the last time we've cleansed you, you haven't gotten any new voices or lowered IQs or anything?"

Dream frowned, shaking his masked face. Like last time, he was walking around armorless, because last time was a joke and he thought this time would be the same. He caught Fundy's eye and saw the man wince. He had noticed too.

"Good!" Sapnap continued when Tubbo stayed silent. "Once we get rid of the other you, you'll be completely freed from this _dreamon."_

The shadows shifted behind Dream, Tubbo pretended not to see. Dream looked behind him. "Yeah, that guy's been following me around. Kinda weird."

The way he said it worried Tubbo. He didn't sound like he was acting- he sounded like the duplicate was following him around without Dream telling it to, as if _it_ _wasn't listening to him anymore._ If that was true, this might not be too easy.

"It _is_ a dreamon." Tubbo said in a way of explanation, not missing when the shadows around them crept forward, as if listening. "Good thing is, we know what can lure dreamons."

"We do?" Fundy blinked.

"We do!" Tubbo repeated loudly, and the shadows seemed to hiss. He knew that if the demon wanted to stay underneath the radar, he'd have to listen to whatever 'dreamon rules' they came up with, or else they'd be able to tell something's wrong. "Dreamons hate dark oak, but they absolutely _love_ birch."

"Oh!" Sapnap dug into his pockets, pulling out a few logs. "I have some right here!"

"Perfect!" Tubbo took them and threw them into the over glorified altar they set up. "That'll grab his attention! He'll be here any minute now."

That was definitely a cue, which meant that the demon had a time limit before everyone (including Dream) got suspicious. In that waiting time, he pulled Sapnap and Fundy to the side. "This is bad."

"What?" Sapnap asked while Fundy nodded in understanding. "Why?"

Tubbo sighed, forgetting that he wasn't here the first time. Fundy answered for him. "The last time we did this, Dream took off his armor for the bit. He doesn't have his armor on here either, which means he's kinda vulnerable."

Sapnap blinked, before he understood and cursed, opening his mouth to speak when Dream stepped in. "Guys-" he pointed at the altar, where the dreamon (d _emon-_ ) was poking around, a curious look on his surprisingly maskless face. The demon stopped outside of the circle of ghast tears, and Tubbo mentally cursed, forcing his face to stay calm. It wasn’t going to go into the circle, was it?

Someone had to push it in.

“Dreamon!” Tubbo took a step forward, ignoring his friends as he pocketed the spectral arrow. He didn’t want the demon to become suspicious. “We’re here to banish you once and for all!”

The demon looked at him blankly, and he could hear Dream mutter something under his breath, as if irritated. After a second of silence, the demon took out a sword. It apparently knew that 'dreamons' were hostile. Well then.

It didn’t really matter, they just needed to get it into the circle of ghast tears so it can’t escape. The rest of the exorcism’s already been done, they just need to get it in, shoot it (preferably through the heart), and it’d be _gone._

Tubbo summoned a shield. Time for some good ol' fashion _shield sumo._

He ran forward, shouting something about dreamons to keep up the façade. The demon rolled out of the way, jolting to a stop when a normal arrow landed in the ground next to him, courtesy of Fundy. That’s the thing, since the demon was in a duplicate body, they didn’t have to worry about not killing it. The respawn glitch wouldn’t affect anyone they cared about if they killed the duplicate. Tubbo doesn’t know if the demon realized that yet.

The demon shifted away from the circle, and Tubbo frowned, scooting around until the demon was between him and the circle. Tubbo raised his shield, yelling as he ran forward, “I got you _now,_ demon!”

He realized what he said right before the demon did. For a single second, he thought the demon was going to write it off as a mistake.

Then it’s eyes went red.

Tubbo slammed into it, knocking it into the circle of ghast tears. At the same time, the demon grabbed the back of his collar, pulling him in as well. The circle of ghast tears started to glow, activating with the introduction of a demon. The enderman blood hummed and whispered.

Tubbo was pulled up to his feet, his shield knocked away and a sword held to his throat. He gulped, cursing silently. _Uh oh._

“What’s going on?” Dream yelled, taking a step towards the circle. He seemed to have finally realized that this wasn’t his duplicate in control. Fundy and Sapnap had notched their spectral arrows and had them aimed at the demon, ready to shoot the minute Tubbo wasn’t in the way. 

“You know a lot for a child.” The demon finally spoke, and it didn’t sound like Dream’s voice. It was deep and smooth and made him shiver, squirming. It sounded familiar. “Who taught you?”

“A demon hunter.” Tubbo jerked in the demon’s grasp. The demon just chuckled, moving his arms so that an arm wrapped around Tubbo’s throat instead of a sword. Now, though, Tubbo couldn’t see where the sword was. “Who else?”

Dream was gaping, his brain connecting the pieces but his mind not wanting to believe. Fundy tightened his grip on the crossbow. “Let him go!”

“And have you shoot me? No.” The demon cracked his neck, and he could hear the frown on his face more than see it. “Ugh, I hate this body.” There was a cracking sound, he could hear something shift, and his friends’ eyes widened in horror. The next time the demon spoke, Tubbo _knew_ that voice. _“There._ Much better!”

It sounded exactly like the admin.

Tubbo glared at the grass. He didn’t have to look to know that the demon had taken the form of the admin. Demons have three normal forms- the form of the person they’re possessing, their actual form, and then the form of the server’s greatest fear. It helped them stir up negative emotions, being able to walk around looking like whatever a server collectively feared the most. He was obviously trying to start a panic (or, in Sapnap’s and Dream’s cases, a nasty flashback) and Tubbo wouldn’t allow that.

“It’s not the real admin.” He assured them. “The admin is _dead._ Demons can take the form of people’s fears- he’s using this one to mess with us.”

While his friends relaxed slightly, they were all caught off guard, and Tubbo cursed, wishing one of them would _just take the shot,_ Tubbo be damned. “Aw.” The demon coo’d. “You're ruining my fun, child.”

Tubbo slammed his head back, into the demon’s chin.

The demon hissed but didn’t let go, instead flexing his arm and cutting off Tubbo’s blood circulation. Almost instantly he started to get woozy. He grabbed the arm around his throat, trying to pry it away for _some_ relief, but it was no use.

“Stop!” The arm abruptly relaxed, and Tubbo shook his head, vision swimming. Dream had walked into the circle, hands held up passively. Why hadn’t Fundy or Sapnap stopped him? “What are you trying to accomplish here?”

“Look at Dream.” He could practically feel the demon’s grin. “Trying to protect his server. Trying to be a _good admin._ You failed last time, you don’t want to fail again, do you?”

“Shut up and answer me.” Dream set his jaw, but Tubbo could see he had gone tense. “What are you trying to do on my server?”

“Don’t act naïve, admin.” The demon chuckled, stepping forward. The movement pushed Tubbo forward as well, until he was about half a foot away from Dream. “You might not believe in demons, but you know what we _do._ You know the signs of a demon, you knew one could be coming, and what did you do? _You pretended it didn't exist.”_ The demon cackled. “And now your friends have to pay for it!”

Dream’s hands were clenched so hard that his knuckles were white. Tubbo was afraid he’d break skin if he didn’t relax. “Let Tubbo go.” 

“And have you think you saved someone?” The demon shook his head. “No, Dream. You need to learn that people _die,_ that your server isn’t _safe,_ that you aren’t _good enough.”_

“Don’t listen to him.” He could barely hear Sapnap, but the voice seemed to get to Dream just fine. The admin didn’t relax, though. Tubbo thought he was too far gone. His hands were glowing, but he didn’t have anything open. Accidental use of powers, maybe.

“I might not be good enough.” Dream conceded, and he sounded _broken,_ and Tubbo squirmed in sympathy. “But that won't stop me from trying. It’s my _duty_ to protect the people on my server, and I’m not going to let a dead man stop me from doing that.”

"That's what you don't get, Dream." The demon clicked it's tongue, and the familiar voice had Tubbo shiver. "You can't protect _anyone."_

Something pushed against his back, slotting between his ribs. Before he could react a sword emerged from his chest, skewering him before stabbing Dream through the heart.

The silence was louder than a firework.

He caught Dream’s eye, through the mask. The admin didn’t look shocked, he looked _miserable,_ and Tubbo suddenly remembered that he had been stabbed too, and Dream had seen it happen. Then Dream was falling and his body was vanishing into dust.

_Dream was killed by a demon._

And Tubbo? Well, the demon had missed everything vital, and while he was still going to die he wasn't going to die instantly. Which meant he had to see the shock and despair on Dream's face, had to hear his friends scream, feel Dream's blood splatter on him.

_Blood that wasn't his._

His shock turned into anger. He could hear the universal chat go crazy with worry about the death message, but he didn't care. In one smooth motion, he took out his arrow and twisted, stabbing it through the demon's own heart. The demon paused, eyes wide.

Tubbo grinned. “Couldn’t _protect_ yourself against that, you _bitch.”_

He disintegrated.

_Demon slain by Tubbo._

Tubbo smiled softly, turning to look at Sapnap and Fundy. They stared in horror, and he was about to tell them off when suddenly there was _pain_ and everything went dark.

_Tubbo was killed by a demon._

He jolted up with a gasp, immediately coming face to face with the rest of Pogtopia. Their faces were ones of pure relief, and Tubbo sighed, letting his head thump against his pillow.

He was _alive._ The glitch didn't get him.

"Tubbo, what happened?" Wilbur asked, eyes wide with worry. "What, what was a _demon_ doing here-?"

"And did you see Dream respawn?" Tommy cut in, and suddenly _Tubbo remembered._

He bolted up, jumping out of bed and running towards the main SMP. _Dream._ Did Dream respawn? He had to, Tubbo didn't see the signs of a glitch, he was okay, he had to be-

He made it to the tunnel entrance before pausing, backing up and entering an empty side room. As the others ran past them, thinking they went to the SMP, they took a second to think. Dream would've spawned at his respawn point. His base, usually, but that wasn't the last place he slept. He took one of Pogtopia's new -courtesy of Tubbo- rooms to sleep in, since his base was still flooded. If he respawns, it'll be _here._

Tubbo sent a quick message in chat just to assure everyone he had respawned. Dream, though, hadn't said a word.

Tubbo left the side room, backtracking and going towards their guest rooms. Just like Tubbo expected, he opened the door to Dream sitting on the side of the bed, hands holding his head up. He ran forward. "You're okay!"

He didn't _look_ okay, but he respawned, and that was enough for the moment.

The admin turned to the sound of his voice, and suddenly he was swept up in a hug. The man was shaking and he suddenly remembered that _Dream saw him get stabbed,_ he thought it was his fault. And not just that, but _he_ saw _the admin_ do it. He sunk into the hug, enjoying the warmth. "I'm fine, Dream."

Shaken, but fine. This was his first time dying on this server, but he thinks Dream's died before, especially in the beginning. At the same time, though, he wasn't going to leave the hug- it was soothing. He could feel the tension that's been lacing his muscles for the last few days fade away.

_The demon was gone._

"I know." Dream whispered, placing his chin on the top of their head. "I should've believed you guys over the admins. We could've avoided all of this."

Tubbo made a noise of disagreement, since he couldn't just shake his head. "The demon was latched onto your duplicate, Dream. It was manipulating your thoughts. Your dreams."

The admin tensed at the last part, and Tubbo shifted until he could see his face. He looked guilty. "Dream?" He asked. "What have you been hiding?"

He sighed, falling back on the bed and taking Tubbo with him. Tubbo leaned back against the footboard of the bed while Dream just laid back, looking up at the ceiling. "I've been having a lot of nightmares, recently." He admitted. "They didn't start with the drowning one, either."

Tubbo frowned, inching closer. "What do you mean?"

"I've been dreaming about the admin." The masked man grimaced. "Almost every night. _I can't get away from him."_

Tubbo didn't want to ask, but he needed to know. "What… what happens? In those dreams?"

Dream tilted his head to look at him, eyes dull. "He kills everyone." He murmurs softly, and Tubbo winces. "I see everyone's heads stuffed and sitting on pedestals. He refuses to kill me, though, so I just sit and watch as he mows down everyone else I know. I can’t save them, no matter what I do."

Tubbo felt the urge to hug him again, but he also felt the urge to comfort him in a different way. "That was definitely the demon." He explains. "Admin emotions are stronger to demons, so the demon latched onto you and caused those nightmares. They have no truth behind them."

"They do, though." Dream turned towards him. "I had the same dream yesterday, Tubbo, but yesterday, he killed me too. He shoved a sword through your chest and stabbed me with it as well."

_He dreamt of pain and blood that wasn't his._

Tubbo grimaced, grabbing a pillow to hug. "Alright, so maybe there's some truth to it… or maybe the demon knew what would happen, and planned it that way."

"Doesn't matter." Dream shook his head. "It still happened. They were right, I can't protect anyone."

Tubbo didn't know if ‘they’ meant the admin, the demon, or both. "Come off it, Dream. You're a great admin. We wouldn't have survived that entire thing if we had an admin that wasn't you. The other admin said he had killed multiple admins before facing us, _you_ were the reason we got through it."

Dream, though, was skeptical. He sat up, placing his back against the wall that the bed laid against. Tubbo shifted until he sat beside the man, resting his head against his shoulder because Dream needed to know he was _safe,_ that he was fine. "I don't want to let you guys down."

"You haven't." Tubbo promised. "Trust me, you haven't."

They stayed like that for a long time, in comfortable silence. It only broke for a short time, when Tubbo told Dream to speak in the universal chat, because his friends were worried. Besides that, they stayed there for a while more, just sitting and thinking and _recovering._

"I can't protect you." Tubbo almost missed his whisper. He had fallen half asleep, with how long he sat there.

"You already have." He murmured, voice drowsy with sleep. "And don't take all of the pressure, Dream. We'll protect you too."

A woman leaned against a tree, invisible to any that might look. She sighed, turning away from the used demon circle. She had hoped that strengthening the demon of the server would get the attention of the admin’s god, but no such luck. It would’ve been nice, too, seeing End’s face fall when she realized what her admin was going through.

It would’ve gotten End off her trail. For a little bit, at least. Enough time to hide some things that should’ve never been uncovered.

She scoffed, her emotions causing rain to start falling from the clouds. She ignored it, mood already dampened without it. How could she have known that the child knew how to slay demons? He didn’t look like he could tie his own shoes without help, but he can _kill demons?_

_What is with this server?_

It didn’t matter anymore- what was done was done. She had to find another way to get End off her tail, before she finds out what _really_ happened all those years ago.

If worse comes to worse, she could just kill her, couldn’t she? And with her, her admins would fall too.

Oceania laughed at the thought, and as the rain fell harder, the goddess turned into water and disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoever decided that Tubbo and Dream had a big/little brother dynamic is a genius. They are the reason this exists. I would've done a similar story with other people, maybe like a Tommy and Wilbur or them and Techno but I need to actually think something up and I don't have anything that would fit in this story yet for that. Eh, we'll get something close to that soon.


	24. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a divider, it doesn’t have any story relevance, just some meta info, so you can skip if you want.

**End of Part 2, _To Tempt a Demon_**

**Beginning of Part 3, _To Kill a God_**

_Meta Information Below_

* * *

**To Taunt a God**

Summary 

"Respawning was a tricky business in the new updates. No one but the gods knew why it became more glitchy as time went on, they just knew it was best to avoid dying at any cost. They didn't want to chance the respawn glitch and die permanently.

No one would've ever thought that someone would use that glitch to their advantage, but when a strange admin joins the server without permission, they'll realize that not everyone has good intentions."

19 Chapters

41k words

Multiple POVs

**To Tempt a Demon**

Summary

"Dreamon hunting is just a fun joke, Tubbo knew that. Everyone knew that. It was just a thing he and Fundy decided to do one day.

Demons, on the other hand- Tubbo knew those were real, and they were a problem if left alone. But they'll be fine, demons only appeared on servers where negative emotions ran rampant, like anarchy servers. Their small server was safe.

They were not safe."

3 Chapters

5k words

Tubbo’s POV

**To Kill a God**

Summary _(i’ll put this on the first chapter of the next part too)_

"The admin was dead, and the demon was destroyed. Everything should be fine, should be normal. 

It wasn't.

Respawning was a tricky business. It should've been fixed by now. Except it wasn't, which could only mean one thing.

Someone was sabotaging it. And not just someone, but some _god._ "

New tags- Mind Control, JSchlatt (not a main character, sorry), Zombies

Multiple POV

Think this one is going to be a bit darker. One reason I'm doing this story is because the main group of this story is basically the Bedtime group but with three people missing and I want to see what kind of dynamics I can mix up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm uploading this today because I didn't think it was far to make you guys wait 4 days since one of the chapters would literally just be a breaking point. Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll upload the first chapter of part 3 (it'll be called Chapter 25).


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The admin was dead, and the demon was destroyed. Everything should be fine, should be normal.  
> It wasn't.  
> Respawning was a tricky business. It should've been fixed by now. Except it wasn't, which could only mean one thing.  
> Someone was sabotaging it. And not just someone, but some god.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha part 3 is a fat mess but I love it anyway.

"I'm looking for a minion."

"A what?" Tommy asked, ducking under an arrow. Techno spun around, decapitating the regular skeleton and stabbing an upcoming pillager in the same swing.

"A minion, Tommy." He said again, holding up his shield to block the splash of a potion. He took out his crossbow and fired a bolt into the witch's eye. "I need a minion. A butler, as you may call them. I need one."

Tommy felt the legs of a spider brush against him, and he yelped, stomping on the leg before darting towards Techno, who shot the spider too. "Ok then." He decided to stop trying when it came to Techno. "What kind of minion?"

There was a second of silence, and then an arrow found its way into the admin's shoulder.

Tommy gasped, but Techno just grunted and snapped the thing in half, leaving the other half alone and turning around. He smiled. "That minion!"

A skeleton with a pumpkin on its head. A jack-o'-lantern, actually. Tommy couldn't believe that _that_ was why Techno was out here at night, surrounded by mobs. “You’re risking your life.” He stared at him. “For a _pumpkin minion.”_

“They’re rare.” Techno ran at the mob, taking out a lead. He ducked under his next arrow, catching the lead around the skeleton’s leg before looping it around it’s arms, effectively pinning it. In a few seconds, he had the thing disarmed and tied up. “You don’t have to be here, I already got what I needed from you.”

He was now half a stack of phantom membranes short. Oh well, he got what he wanted from the deal. A zombie made a grab for him, and he cuts it’s arm off, stabbing it through the chest. “Thought you’d want some company.”

Techno picked up the wiggling skeleton, heaving it over his shoulder. “I guess.” He nodded behind him. “Enderman.”

Tommy, the idiot he sometimes is, turned around to look it dead in the eye. It hissed and vanished. “Oops.”

“Nice going.” Techno walked past him, sword still out. The enderman appeared on his side, and without even looking the admin stabbed it in the chest. When he pulled the sword out, a pearl was skewered on it. He hummed as he took it off and pocketed it.

“H-How?!” Tommy gaped. “You- you- you’re cheating somehow. It’s the cape.” He grabbed the admin’s red cape, tugging it until the claspes came apart and the entire thing fell into his hands. Techno huffed as Tommy threw it over himself, grinning maniacally. “Now I’m the big man here!”

A hand came to ruffle his hair, pushing him down and out of the way of an arrow at the same time. “Sure you are.” Techno said, walking away. He didn’t ask for the cape back, and for the next few days Tommy ran around saying he had bested Techno in a fight and won the cape because of it.

No one believed him.

  
  


Sapnap weaved in and out of the woods, glancing every which way. He absolutely hated being the runner in a manhunt, even if they were just practicing. They were down three of their people as well; Bad was on another server, Ant was chopping down an entire forest awhile away, and Dream was sleeping. Which meant-

He heard the crack of a branch and dove out of the way just in time to miss George jumping on him. He screamed in surprise, jumping up and running away.

Since they were practicing and their resident admin was sleepy, they didn’t have a separate server to work on. Instead, they had gone into the woods a bit away from spawn and were playing tag, basically. If George manages to tag him 10 times, then he wins. If Sap can find his way back to spawn, then he wins. So far, George has already tagged him 9 times, but Sapnap can see light in the distance.

He was almost there.

A hand grabbed his ankle and he fell to the floor.

“Damnit!” He growled as George tackled him, giggling up a storm because he usually didn’t win these types of things. “Alright, you win.”

“Yes!” George jumped off him, giving him a hand up. “You know what that means~”

Sapnap sighed, taking out his flint and steel and handing it over. No fire for the next few days, that was the deal. Oh well, he still had furnaces and coincidental lightning strikes. “Fine. Come on, let's get back.”

George laughed the entire way home, but Sapnap was a bit worried. He had told George about the demon incident- they had told _everyone_ about the demon incident, but of course Dream played it off as tamer than what it was. He didn’t let others know about his nightmares.

They made it to town and split off. Sapnap waited until George was out of sight before running towards his house, where Dream was staying because he ‘couldn’t be bothered with unflooding his base’. Sapnap had shot him a look but didn’t say anything. That wasn’t the real reason.

It was worrying, though, that he’s sleeping down in the underwater basement.

He walked downstairs, eyes widening at the sound of glass breaking. Dream was still asleep, but he was mumbling to himself, and all around him the glass walls containing the water were shattering. Sapnap jumped forward, wading through the rising water to get to his friend. “Dream-!”

Luckily, he woke up almost immediately. He cursed, bringing up a code screen and tapping it with glowing fingers. The glass resealed itself and the water vanished. They both let out a sigh of relief, and Dream fell back on the bed. Sap leveled him a look. 

“No, I didn’t lie.” Dream didn’t have to see him to know that he was looking. “That’s the first time I’ve had that dream since the demon.”

Sapnap pushed his legs to the side, sitting in the spot they had just occupied. “You’re gonna get yourself killed, Dream.” He said. “You should talk to _someone,_ even if it’s not one of us. Heck, call up that god of yours.”

Dream snorted. “I’m not just going to call up a _god_ because I can’t sleep, Sap.”

He expected that. “Go back to sleep.” He leaned against the edge of the bed. Tubbo said that staying near him as he fell asleep helped, and he’s tried it a few times before and Dream usually reports no dreams at all those nights. Might as well try again, in case he spawns in more water, again. “I’ll be right here.”

“I don’t deserve you.” Dream laughed, making kissy faces. He laughed as well, pushing him back when Dream made grabby hands. “No, but seriously, you don’t have to.”

“No, but seriously, I do.” He leveled him a look. “You haven’t been sleeping, don’t think your mask will hide it from me. I’ve known you too long.”

“Ok, ok.” Dream sighed, like he hoped Sapnap wouldn’t realize that he was sleeping with his mask on. Of course he realized. He turned on his side, facing away from his friend and towards the glass. Sapnap knew he was trying to hide the fact that he had been crying. He didn't say anything about it. “Nite, _mom._ ”

And Sapnap waited there until the tension left his shoulders and his breathing relaxed. He stayed there until the sun rose the next morning, as well. He never left.

  
  
  


She was running, bare feet slapping against the wet grass as she slipped past dripping leaves and branches. The rain pelted her skin as she moved. Thunder crashed, and she could hear laughing.

_Fuck fuck fuck fuck-_

She ducked into a cave, taking a harsh breath before going silent. _How_ did she get herself into this mess? She's a fucking _goddess,_ and not just any goddess, but the goddess of the _end,_ an entire _realm,_ and here she is, playing cat and mouse-

Lightning crackled. She huffed, cursing again. Raising her arm, she looked at the line that cut across her inner wrist. It glowed like code, and whatever it was, it stopped her from using her godly powers.

_She was so fucked._

Biting her lip, she slammed a fist into the stone. _No she wasn't!_ She's the bloody goddess of _victory,_ she can figure this out! She's smart and clever and Nether would _kill_ her if she managed to die to _her_ of all gods-

Water was starting to leak in from the torrential downpour. She stepped back, not letting it touch her. She looked back into the cave.

_Ooo, idea._

Without a second thought she ran farther into the cave. Her god powers may be gone, but she never went anywhere without a water bucket and a flint and steel. Both annoyed Nether, which is why she had them. She'd never tell him that they might save her life.

She was deep within the earth when she heard a voice draft from the entrance of the cave. _"Oh End…"_ the voice whispered, like a mother singing a lullaby. Something about the tone and tilt of the voice set her on edge. _"I know you're in here…"_

The goddess cursed in enchanted, jumping down a short cliff and landing in a crouch. She blinked, eyes adjusting to the change in light.

_Bingo._

There was a minute of silence as she worked, finishing right when someone else appeared around the corner.

The newcomer wore something that she couldn't really describe- a pale greenish blue shirt that reminded her of prismarine shards. The shirt continued in thin strips down to their ankles, and it reminded her of a mermaid, if they ever got around to actually _creating one_. The person's skin was also a pale bluish green, and their hair was a darker but still light blue. "End." They greeted.

"Oceania." She replied, making sure that her creation stayed out of the water goddess's sight. "You won't get away with this."

"I've been getting away with this for thousands of years, End. Right under your nose, too." The goddess laughed. "You always thought you were above us, didn't you? You had your own realm, your own city, your own _wings."_ Her smile was twisted. "I wanted to _chop_ those things off ever since I first saw them."

Alright, Ocean was crazy, _she needed to go,_ **_now._ **

"You can't take me in a fair fight." The End said, and felt a weird sense of deja vu. "Now I see where he got it from."

Oceania pouted. "I wish he finished the job. The look of devastation on you and Nether's faces would've been _delightful."_

Oceania brought out a sword, and End turned, twisting around the wall hiding the portal and diving in.

Right before she was gone, she saw Oceania turn the corner, saw her face turn to rage, felt something hit her chest. She grinned. 

_Water doesn't survive in the nether._

The moment she arrived Nether was there. "It's the middle of the night, why are you-" he paused, voice turning concerned. "End? _End!"_

The goddess collapsed, blood leaking from her lips. Confused, she tilted her head.

 _Oh._ _When'd that sword get there?_

She's vaguely aware of Nether picking her up, bringing her to his stronghold. The sword doesn't hurt -she is a god, after all- but whatever Oceania did cut her off from her powers and even though it was one measly stab wound she was _dying._

And if she was dying, then her admins…

_Fuck._

"Nether-" she tried to say, tried to get his attention. "Nether-"

"Shush." He interrupted. "I know that voice, End. That's your _I'm giving up_ voice. Well, sorry, but _you can't._ We're almost there-"

"Nether-" she tried again. "I won't die here. Promise." The small smile she received didn't look like it would come from the god of death. "But I need to rest."

And by rest, she means _hibernate._ She hasn't done that in centuries, but it's the only way she'll survive now. She just needs to do one last thing before she leaves. Needs to give Nether a warning.

Nether said something, but her eyes were closing. _Not yet!_ She forced them open, touching a finger weakly to her forehead. A full cloud of _memories_ emerged, and with a single thought she sent them on their way.

"A memory blessing?" Nether muttered, "What are you doing, End?"

She was already half asleep, half gone. "You'll know where I sent them." She murmured. "I- I finally found it, Nether. The answer to the glitch."

The nether froze mid step. _"What?"_

"Can't explain now." End coughed. She couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. "Find my memories. And- and stay- stay _away… from Oceania."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last Sunday I woke up with a new MCYT story idea that's more manhunt-y and that's what I've been doing since then. What does that mean for this story? It means I haven't finished it yet. I have like one chapter left (the longest one) I'll get it done eventually...


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm from the US and we punted u's from many of our words but every time I write 'armor' I write 'armour' instead and I feel like I've betrayed my country. Due to my failure I shall go fall on my sword and give you a chapter a day early.

It was all normal, as far as Wilbur could tell.

They were having a day off on the SMP, no bits and no roleplaying, just normal hanging out and catching up. Techno had somehow roped Phil into joining, he was catching up Schlatt, and Tubbo was running around screaming about romans. It felt normal.

Then someone was _screaming_ in pain and Wilbur very nearly had a flashback to the last time he heard a similar scream. He turned around, fear climbing in his throat, and saw what he hoped to never see again.

Dream (why was it always Dream-) was leaning against a tree, jerking and clutching his chest, which now had a great big gaping _hole_ in it that _wasn't there_ two seconds ago. His friends were frozen at his side, shock clearly written on their faces.

Wilbur looked around. No mobs. Where'd it come from? No, that _didn't matter right now._

He was the first to move, his brain switching to medical mode as he ran forward. "Hold him down!" He commanded, and George and Sapnap followed _surprisingly_ quickly, grabbing the admin's arms. "Don't let him move or he'll irritate whatever…" he trailed off, because _what the fuck?_

The wound looked like a stab wound, but the skin around it was a blackish purple, like obsidian, or crying obsidian. He's never seen a wound do that before, _what was it?_

He cursed, because while the man wasn't still screaming he was wheezing, but this time it was because he couldn't _breathe._ "Phil!" He snapped, and the man was immediately there. He was the only other one that knew medicine, he needed- "Calm Dream down."

As Phil went about it, Wilbur pulled out the strongest regen potion he had, pouring some on a washcloth and rubbing it as gently as possible against the wound.

It his immense relief, it started to work.

Once the admin calmed a little more, he got Dream to drink the rest of the potion and a health potion. George had a god apple on him, and that did the trick, completely closing the wound. Dream let out a sigh of relief, hand patting his chest, like he thought it would come back.

"Uh." Techno broke the silence. _"What was that?"_

"I…" Dream licked his lips. He looked _spent._ "I have no clue."

"I think I do." Phil spoke up, from where he stood next to Wilbur. The older man took Dream's face in his hands, tilting it and staring, as if looking for something. "I read a book about something similar to this."

"Similar?" George's face was still white in shock. "What?"

"Admins get their powers from their god." Phil let out a shaky breath. "They're dependent on them. Gods know when their admins die, but admins, they _feel it._ Their God's pain is their own, and if a god dies…" he trailed off.

It clicked in Wilbur's head. "Someone just tried to kill the End goddess." He murmured.

"Yeah." Dream sat up, shifting with a slight wince. "And they almost succeeded."

Thunder crackles in the sky, and Wilbur sighs, ducking his head under a tent in Manburg. The rain was falling in sheets, harder than anything he's ever seen. No one wanted to go out in it, which meant they were all stuck until it ended. He's happy that Tommy is out of the server, visiting other friends. He's happy he didn't have to see what happened an hour ago.

Speaking of, Dream sat in the corner, Sapnap and George glued to his side. Tension lingered in the air. Everyone had donned armor.

Something wet touched his foot. A puddle of water from the rain was leaking into the tent. He frowned, it rarely rains hard enough to cause puddles, but when it does-

His eyes widened. “It’s going to flood.” He whispered.

 _“What?”_ Dream’s head darted up. “It can’t. I turned that off.”

But as Wilbur thought, right after he said those words, thunder cracked in the sky and more water started rushing in. A flash flood. “Out of the tent!” He yelled. “Find high ground!”

Flooding rarely ever happened, but Wilbur knows how dangerous it can be if you’re stuck in it. Manburg was at the base of a mountain as well, it was in a prime position to get wiped out by a flood. Wilbur grabbed the person closest to him, Tubbo, and hauled him out.

They left the tent just in time to see a wave of water crash into them.

Wilbur sputtered, keeping a grip on the younger boy. After a second of surprise, he started pushing up, dragging the shocked boy with him above water. He broke the surface, taking a deep breath and looking around. It was raining buckets, and everything was flooding. People’s heads started appearing on the surface, bobbing up and down.

“Wilbur!” He heard Tubbo, saw the boy holding a floating piece of wood next to him. He nodded, grateful, and tucked an arm around it to help him float. “What happened?”

“Not sure.” Wilbur murmured. “I’ve never seen a flash flood like this before.”

“Me neither.” Phil and Techno had appeared close by. While Techno seemed very uncomfortable in the water (was that just him or because his god is the nether god?) Phil was floating effortlessly. “This isn’t natural.”

There was a short break in the rain, and in the middle of the newly formed lake they swam in a whirlpool appeared. Water shot out of it, but instead of falling to the ground, it stayed floating, forming something human.

After a second the whirlpool broke, and a woman stood floating in the middle of the water. The lady looked around, eyes glowing white like a sea lantern. She drifted down, feet touching the water to stand on it, like a god would.

Wilbur suddenly knew who she was. “Why is the _ocean god_ here?!”

No one had an answer for him.

“Humans.” She announced, and her voice rumbled like thunder. “I am looking for something, and I traced its location here. Give it back, or face the consequences.”

Wilbur looked at Techno, since he had no idea where Dream was. The admin looked like he’d rather be _anywhere_ but here, and Wilbur wondered when Techno had turned into a cat. He didn’t hate water this much before he turned full admin.

Luckily, Dream stepped up. He and George had grabbed a boat from somewhere, and several other people were holding onto the sides. George was fiddling with a crafting table he had in his lap, probably making more boats. “We took nothing from you.” He said, “There’s no reason to flood my server!”

While he understood Dream’s anger, he wished the admin remembered that this was the goddess of _misery and destruction._ Said goddess caught Dream’s eye and sighed, disappointed. “Oh, you’re still alive?” She asked. “I was hoping she had died.”

The implication of her words silenced the server.

“She’s the one.” Phil murmured after a second. “She’s the one who tried to kill the end goddess.”

And now she was here. Looking for something none of them had. Wilbur cursed, trying to kick his floating planks of wood closer to the others. “Why?!” He shouted, grabbing the god’s attention.

She shrugged. “She knew too much.” She said. Her eyes sharpened. “And now you do, too.”

The goddess raised a hand, and the rain started back up. In the corner of his eye, he could see another wave of water wash down from the mountain. It was tall, and there was no avoiding it.

The last thing he saw before the water rushed them was the goddess’ cruel smile.

The water crashed into Wilbur, and he fell back, losing hold of Tubbo. Sticks and gravel pelted him in the rushing waves, cutting his skin and bruising his body. He was rushed away in the swirling vortex of water, which pulled him deeper and deeper into its depths.

He wouldn’t let it get him. He was _not_ going to drown.

After a few seconds of vigorous swimming he broke the surface, gasping for breath before looking around. He had been washed far downstream- he could barely see Manburg anymore. After a second of panting, he looked around for anyone else.

A flash of a suit caught his eye. He recognized that suit, and suddenly remembered that _Schlatt couldn’t swim._

He dove under, kicking towards the drowning man. He was flailing, doing a poor mimicry of swimming as he tried to push himself to the surface. Failing. He made eye contact with Wilbur, reached a hand out, before something in his eyes turned off and he started sinking further into the water.

Wilbur went after him, pushing his already aching body. He reached the man just as he closed his eyes, and Wilbur hooked an arm around the man’s own, trying to kick up. It was hard with another body’s limp weight, and by the time he surfaced Wilbur’s own vision was fuzzy. For a second he treaded water, exhausted, before realizing that he needed to get out of the water before _he_ passed out.

The situation reminded him too much of the other time they dealt with a flood. That was a planned flood, but it was still scary.

After a moment his foot caught on ground, and he hauled Schlatt up onto the shore, pulling him away from the flooding water. It was still raining, the water like arrows on his skin. He pulled Schlatt up to a tree, hoping beyond hope that either the man would wake up before the water got too high or that he’d climb the tree if need be. He couldn’t go any farther, anyway. Falling to the ground, he took deep, gasping breaths.

“Just who I wanted to see.”

Wilbur flinched at the familiar voice, looking around. From the water emerged the ocean goddess, stepping onto shore like the current didn’t affect her in the slightest. He glared. “Why did you try to kill the end goddess?”

The god’s laugh was soft and light, and he’d find it soothing if the tone wasn’t off. “A mortal wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

“Hmm, no.” The goddess grinned, stepping forward, and if Wilbur could he would move, would _run,_ but he was too tired and he wasn’t leaving Schlatt defenseless. “Besides, I have another job for you to do.”

“Why would I do _anything_ for you?” Wilbur spat, sliding backwards on the ground as the goddess came closer.

The goddess frowned. “Who said you had a choice?” She raised a hand, finger touching Wilbur’s forehead.

Everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phil Phil Phil Phil! Phil Nye the Minecraft Guy! Minecraft is cool! I'm a walking lore machine! Phil Phil Phil Phil! Phil Nye the Minecraft Guy!
> 
> ALSO THAT NEW STORY IDEA I HAD YEAH SO I DIDN'T SLEEP MUCH AND I'M 10 CHAPTERS IN ALREADY AND I'M SLEEP DEPRIVED AND MY STUPID ASS DECIDED TO PUBLISH IT IT'S CALLED 'RUN BOY RUN' AND IT'S BASICALLY MANHUNT BUT GEORGE IS LITERALLY THE ONLY HUMAN BESIDES I THINK TOMMY (OH YEAH SCHLATT TOO I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY CAUSE YA KNOW HE'S A LITERAL GOAT-) I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT ALL HERE BUT IF THAT AT ALL IS INTERESTING TO YOU GO CHECK IT OUT I'M VERY PROUD OF MY SLEEP DEPRIVED BRAIN I THINK IT DID A GOOD JOB AT BEING AS ANGSTY AS I FELT COMFORTABLE GETTING. THERE'S ALSO MEEEEEEGA SIBLINGS VIBES BETWEEN TUBBO AND DREAM I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF (YEAH SLEEPY BOIS ARE FAMILY TOO DO NOT FRET) OKAY I NEED TO STOP AND GO TAKE A NAP BYEEEEEEEE!


	27. Chapter 27

Tubbo shielded his eyes against the blaring sun, shifting as it dried his rumpled clothes. He jumped over a fallen log, glancing behind him.

Marburg was in ruins. The flood had ended, but everything had been torn and ripped to shreds. It could all be rebuilt, Tubbo knew, but it hurt to look at, even if he wasn’t on their side anymore.

And buildings didn’t matter anyway. People mattered. Half a day had passed, and Wilbur and Schlatt were still missing.

There was a thump next to him, and Dream straightened, catching his eye. “I saw some debris farther down the river. They might be down shore.”

Tubbo nodded, and they set off. When Wilbur and Schlatt didn’t appear, they split off to find them. Everyone was searching in parties of two, and while Tubbo would normally go with Tommy he was still off the server. That was fine though, this time he preferred to go with Dream.

The flood reminded him far too much of his nightmares. He’s sure he wasn’t the only one to feel that way.

They walked along the river edge, looking around for any sign of them. Tubbo was still confused- why would the gods fight each other? What did the ocean goddess want, and why’d she try to kill the end goddess? He shook his head, finding his friends was more important right now.

That’s when he noticed something.

“Hey Dream.” He called, pointing at the ground. “So you know how the flood made the river really high?”

“Yeah.” Dream nodded, tilting his head. “Why?”

“Well-” Tubbo looked towards the treeline. “-the water’s gone back down, but if Wilbur and Schlatt were down here when it was flooded, the water line would be up there.” He pointed to the tree line. Sure enough, some of the ground there was wet, as were the bases of the trees. “If they washed ashore, they’d be up there, not down here.”

Dream stared at the treeline for a second, before smiling and ruffling Tubbo’s hair. “Nice catch, Tubbo.” They made their way to the treeline, following the path of the river from up there.

Their efforts were worth it.

Schlatt was leaning against a tree, throwing up water and bile. Tubbo dug out a golden apple, but the man raised a hand. “I’m fine.” He coughed, shifting to sit down. 

He’s not surprised Schlatt looked bad- he couldn’t swim, after all. Tubbo’s confused on how he got out of the water in the first place. Wilbur had to have helped him, but where was Wilbur? “Have you seen Wilbur?”

“Don’t know.” Schlatt closed his eyes, expression tight. “It’s fuzzy. He pulled me half dead out of the water, I lost consciousness, and when I woke up he’s gone.”

That… that didn’t sit well. “Can you make your way back to Manburg by yourself?” Dream asked. “We have to keep looking for Wilbur.”

Schlatt exhaled, nodding. “Give me a few ender pearls and a steak, I’ll be fine.” He leaned back against the tree. “One more thing, though.”

Tubbo tilted his head, intrigued. “What?”

“I’m not sure if I was dreaming or not, but I swear I heard a woman’s voice before I was completely out.” Schlatt murmured, taking the ender pearls and food Dream gave him. “And it didn’t sound like Niki.”

They continued searching the river but came up empty. It worried Tubbo greatly that the goddess could’ve done something to their only trained healer, he wondered if she did it on purpose. He was so focused on the thought that he didn’t notice when Dream veered them into the woods. “Uh, Dream?”

Dream didn’t respond, just pointing to the ground. Tubbo could see a trail of water puddles, and he suddenly knew what Dream was thinking.

They followed it to a small pool in the middle of the woods. There, sitting on the edge of the pool, was Wilbur, back turned to them and legs dangling into the water.

Tubbo grinned. “Wilbur!” He ran forward, but Dream held him back. When Tubbo turned to him, his jaw was clenched. “What-”

Then Wilbur turned to him and Tubbo _understood._

The musician’s skin was _blue,_ crusty and flaked with dark _blue_ blood. His hair had taken a greenish hue, and his eyes were dull and _yellow._ Gashes and purples spots were littered along his body, most likely from the flood. It didn't help how he looked.

_He looked like a drowned._

“What did she do to you..?” Dream whispered, and he sounded broken. Tubbo felt the same way- Wilbur looked like a _corpse._

The man smiled, his rotting skin sinking with the movement, exposing the bone of his jaw. “Don’t worry.” His voice was light and airy and Tubbo was _worried._ “She made me better. She’ll make us _all_ better. As long as we do our jobs.”

The man (was he even a man anymore-) stood, sword in hand. Dream pulled Tubbo behind him. Wilbur took a step forward, and Dream summoned his sword and shield, giving his shield to Tubbo. He knew the boy probably didn’t bring one.

He was right.

“Wilbur.” Tubbo’s voice _did not_ shake. “Come on, man, don’t let her do this to you.”

Wilbur laughed, and his jaw unhinged itself. He caught it, popping it back on, and Tubbo wanted to throw up. “You’ll understand soon, Tubbo. You’ll understand soon.”

And he ran forward, sword high in the air and swinging down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay can someone please explain to me how challenges, sign-ups, and gift exchanges work on this site and how I can do it? I kind of want to try it out and stuff but I don't know nobody and I have no clue what I'm doing! Help pleaseeeeeeeee.


	28. Chapter 28

_ He wobbled forward, feet slipping on the netherrack as he tried to propel himself up and off the ground. For a split second, he was up and in the air, but then he lost his balance and fell back onto the netherrack. _

_ “I thought I told you-” A voice called out behind him, and Dream turned to see the Nether god there. He was younger, though, a teenager. Around Tommy’s age. “-no flying in the nether. You don’t want to fall into lava, do you?” _

_ Dream pouted, and the wings behind him fluttered. He brushed long dark hair out of his face. “I’m fine!” He huffed. “Why do I gotta listen to you anyway?!” _

_ The god snorted. “Because I’m older and you’re in my domain.” _

_ Nether acts as if Dream  _ **_wants_ ** _ to be here. He’d rather be in the end, talking to the enderman and playing with the dragon. And did he just use the age card? “All gods are the same age, Nether. We were all created at the same time! You just grew up faster than me!” _

_ Gods don’t age consistently- they jump around and can even go in reverse. The oldest looking god was Woods, and Nether said it was because his biome was the oldest one. Woods looked like an adult, and then there was Desert and Ocean and Nether. Jungle was even older than him, and they hadn’t even finished implementing their biome yet. Why did he look the youngest? _

_ Nether looked sad, for some reason. “You were born after us, End.” _

_ End? He wasn’t End, he was Dream. He ignored the fact that his hair was dark and long, and his skin was a different color. “But you said we were all born at the same time.” _

_ Nether looked guilty for a moment. “All the original gods were born at the same time.” He corrected gently. “You are not the original end god. There was another god before you.” _

  
  


Dream works best when he’s surprised.

As long as no one attacks him the second the surprise sets in, he’s good to go. It took Wilbur three seconds to reach him, and by that time Dream was already putting away his sword and Wilbur was already on the floor.

The man groaned, and it sounded like a gurgling zombie. Tubbo peaked around his shoulder, eyes wide and scared and  _ what was going on?! _

“Wilbur.” Dream snapped. “Get ahold of yourself!”

The man just laughed, and water gurgled in the back of his throat, dripping out of his mouth. Tubbo shuttered.

Before he could get back up, Dream grabbed his arm and jerked it behind his back. Wilbur didn’t make a sound, grinning madly as Dream hauled him up. “We’re moving.”

“Dream-?” Tubbo asked as Dream pushed the man forward. It was getting dark, and they were too far away to head home now, especially since someone had to watch Wilbur. Dream saw a cave a little bit back that they could stay in.

“Don’t worry.” He assured, before pausing. It’d be good to have the other admin here, too. “Send Techno our coords and tell him to get here asap.”

“Don’t have to worry about that.”

Dream’s head jerked to the side as Techno and Phil emerged from the shadows of the trees. “Schlatt just made it back, and he said you guys were out here-  _ oh my god-!” _

“Phil!” Wilbur grinned, jaw creaking and almost falling off again. “Just the man I wanted to see!”

Dream immediately tightened his grip, worried, but Wilbur didn’t do anything. Techno took a step forward, leaning forward and tilting his head at one of his oldest friends. “What happened?”

“We don’t know.” Tubbo whispered.

“Schlatt said that Wilbur saved him from the flood, and he thinks he heard the ocean goddess’ voice before he blacked out.” Dream summarized, looking towards the sky. “Mobs will start spawning soon. Come on.”

The walk to the cave was quiet besides Wilbur’s humming. They didn’t have anything to tie Wilbur up with, so Dream just had to keep holding him still as he led the way. Tubbo (after a shared look with Phil) was situated farthest away from the man, behind Phil, and Techno shifted forwards and backwards in the group, going from checking for mobs to staring at Wilbur.

Once they finally made it to the cave, they blocked off the entrance and lit a torch. The cave was pretty warm to begin with, so there were no worries for freezing. When Wilbur still hadn't moved at all, Dream lets him go.

The man stretches, raising his hands above his head. One of his hands fall off, and he hears Tubbo squeak behind him. “Thanks for the escort.”

“Wilbur.” Dream’s sure he heard Phil’s voice crack, but he didn’t comment on it. “What, what…”

“The ocean god- Oceania, she had to have done something…” Dream murmured, tilting his body in such a way that Tubbo didn’t see Wilbur pop his hand back on. Blue blood splattered on his hoodie, and Dream winced.

_ He looked dead. _

**_Was_ ** _ he dead? _

“Of course she did something!” Wilbur cackled. Outside, the wind started to pick up. “She’s blessed me! You would be  _ jealous  _ of the powers I now possess!”

Dream froze, staring. Blessed? “Wilbur-  _ you’re an admin?” _

He laughed. “No! I’m better! I’m not held down by your deals or your mortality!” His grin was disturbing, the way half of his face seemed to be falling off.  _ “You can’t kill what’s already dead.” _

He didn’t want to believe it. It can be reversed, it  _ has  _ to be reversible. They need to find another god, someone who can  _ fix this- _

“Phil!” Wilbur spoke up again, shuffling towards the man. Techno raised his weapon immediately, but Wilbur just laughed. “My goddess wants you dead, Phil, but I don’t think that’s necessary. No, join  _ our  _ side, Phil. You love hardcore? You’ll never have to worry about dying again.”

That’s when Dream realized something.

Wilbur was the doctor on the server, the only one with enough knowledge to mend stuff not mendable with potions- things like breaks or, gods forbid, an  _ admin weapon. _ Phil was a healer too- self taught but their second best healer.

Oceania was targeting them.

“Oh, I’m going to have to take a no on that one, Wilbur.” Phil chuckled nervously. “You can always join our side, though.”

There was a crack of thunder outside. Dream could hear the rain start up again. Wilbur laughed. “Can’t say I didn’t try.”

Dream took out his sword, moving to Tubbo’s side. The boy was shaking, and Dream didn’t blame him. Wilbur  _ looked  _ dead,  _ said  _ he was dead, said he wanted to  _ kill Phil- _

“You know.” Wilbur hummed, unperturbed by the rain. “I have a job, Phil, one my goddess  _ needs  _ me to complete. And it doesn’t just end with you.”

Tubbo frowned, wrinkling his nose. “What do you mean?”

“Sacrifice is necessary for the cause, Tubbo.” Wilbur said, and Dream grew cold. “I’m safer for my goddess if I'm  _ completely  _ dead. That’s why after Phil is gone, I’ll be joining him.”

Lightning flashed outside. The cave grew quiet.

“She wants you to…” Techno cut himself off, surprise clear on his masked face. Dream couldn’t believe it either- Oceania’s forcing him to not just kill Phil, but  _ himself  _ as well? “Wilbur, I  _ need  _ you to fight this.  _ Please.” _

Wilbur laughed. “There’s no fighting against the gods, Techno.” He said. “You’re just wasting your time.”

Suddenly, his feet were wet. When he looked down, he saw a puddle forming on the floor.

_ Oh no. _

Lightning flashed outside at the same time their torches went out, plunging them into darkness.

Before he could take out a torch someone did it for him. In the dim glow of Phil’s newly made torch, he could barely see everyone else in the cave.

The spot Wilbur previously occupied was empty.

There was a second of confusion, of questioning, before it clicked and he turned towards Phil,  _ dove towards _ Phil, and he tackled the man to the ground.

He was too late.

He heard the man grunt, felt something warm and wet on his hands, heard Wilbur laugh, and then their makeshift barrier to the outside world fell down and rain started pelting them. When he looked around, Wilbur was gone.

Phil jerked in his grasp, hissing in pain, and Dream rolled away, moving to his knees and helping Phil sit up. Blood was blooming out the side of his waist, and as far as Dream could tell, whatever weapon Wilbur used went clean through.

_ Fuck. _

“Don’t- don’t worry.” Phil raised a shaky hand to his side, pressing down on the wound with a grimace. “I’ve had worse. He… he missed anything… vital. Thanks- for that.”

Dream doesn’t think he deserves a thanks for being too late, but he didn’t say anything, just nodding. He dug through his inventory, looking for a potion he knew he had, before frowning. Where were his potions? "My potions are missing."

Tubbo checked himself. "So are mine!"

Phil shook his head, but luckily Techno pulled out a single regen potion. "Wilbur has sticky fingers." He muttered, crouching down next to Phil. Dream blinked. Wilbur knew how to pickpocket? 

The regen potion closed the worst of the damage, but Phil was still majorly wounded. If Oceania wanted to permanently kill Phil, Dream's worried she gave Wilbur a weapon that could do just that, even if it wasn't an admin weapon. They needed to go and get more potions.

The wind howled outside, lashing out like a feral wolf. He didn't know if they could leave even if they tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no the lore machine is briefly out of order what will they do?  
> Also, memories, Dream, they're called memories. Have you never seen Harry Potter before? Shame on you


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM UPLOADING EARLY BC OF TODAY'S STREAM WOW I AM SO HAPPY.  
> I am a Techno fan first and foremost and I always watch his POV during live streams (then go onto vods and twitch when it works for me) and MAN DID IT SATIATE MY LUST FOR BLOOD BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD-

Techno has a problem where he'll get hyper focused on something and then work on it for however long it takes to finish, regardless for if it's bad for his health. Right now, he was focused on Phil. The man was bleeding out and they were trapped in a cave.

He wished he brought his trident. Or that the rain would stop.

Wait a moment.

"If this works we're both idiots, Dream." He muttered, taking out a screen to show the server code. He scanned through it, touching a piece of code with his glowing hands. The code murmured against his hand, and he spoke back through his mind, in a hurry.

The rain abruptly stopped.

"Nice!" Dream stood up, looking outside. "We should go- she'll probably turn the rain back on again soon."

"It'll take her a second." Techno snorted, rummaging through his bag for a strength potion. He's sure Wilbur took one of those instead of his regen by accident. "I turned it off completely."

"I have potions in my bunker." Tubbo ran forward as Techno drunk the strength potion, bending down to pick Phil, who had lost consciousness, up. "We also need to warn the others."

They started their way back, Dream in the lead with his sword out, since Techno had his hands full. Tubbo kept running back and forth, looking around and running into trees.

Techno, on the other hand… well, he was worried.

Growing up on an anarchy server wasn't really fun. He stole and killed for food, ran away from hunters and guards. His mask made him popular, since he never took it off. Slowly, the award for his head got higher and higher, and they didn't even know they were hunting a seven year old.

When the admin of that server found out about his bounty, there was no stopping him. Techno was sleeping in his shack of a base, and then suddenly the admin was there, grabbing his wrist and hauling him up. He couldn't hurt the man either, for some reason, so he just kicked and protested, sure that the admin was going to turn him in for the bounty.

He was instead given to another admin, who promptly took him off the server. He met Wilbur when he was 9 or 10, new to the server and  _ very _ anxious. Wilbur reminded him of some of the other kids on the anarchy server- young, scrappy but weak. He saw those kids slowly vanish over the years, would sometimes be the one to find their corpses, if respawning went wrong. And not like glitching- but sometimes when people respawn their old bodies stay behind, and someone has to clean it up. It happens a lot on anarchy or pvp servers.

He decided that nothing like that would ever happen to Wilbur, not if he had anything to say about it. So when the Ruined came and tried to kill him, Techno  _ did not hesitate. _ He would've sliced the traitor's head off a hundred times over if possible.

Wilbur. Wilbur was a friend, a brother. He was always there growing up, ready to play and help him. He gave him a  _ home, _ a  _ family. _ And now, he was…

_ Was he gone? _

Techno was suddenly very grateful for his mask. He looked down at Phil, and the emotions surged.  _ They wanted Phil dead too. _ The people he grew up with, his  _ family. _ This god was trying to  _ destroy his  _ **_family-_ **

"Hey." Techno jerked, snapping his head up to meet Dream's eyes, which was hard when they were both wearing masks. "I know you're worried about both of them. If worse comes to worse, Phil can still respawn. Wilbur won't do anything to himself until Phil is gone."

The thing is, Techno wasn't just worried, _ he was  _ **_livid._ **

_ He wanted to feel the goddess' blood on his fingers. He wanted to laugh as the god wailed in pain. He wanted to paint his mask red with her blood. _

"We're back!" Tubbo announced, snapping him out of his haze. The boy frowned. "It's kind of quiet."

Well, if  _ that _ comment didn't raise the hairs on the back of his neck he wouldn't know what could.

Dream seemed to have the same reaction. "Let's stay in the treeline. Tubbo, where's your bunker?"

Tubbo led the way to the bunker, skirting in and out of the treeline. Soon, though, there were no trees to hide behind.

That's when Techno saw two figures in the distance. Dream perked up, smiling. "Ey, Sapnap! George!"

The two turned around and  _ everything went wrong. _

The sky opened up, the rain starting back up again. Techno tried to curl himself around Phil, to block him from the rain, but it was no use. At the same time Dream's friends ran forward, weapons out and looking to maim.

They looked like Wilbur did. They looked  _ dead. _

Tubbo squeaked, taking out his shield. Dream chopped into George's shield, ducking under Sapnap's stab and elbowing him in the face. The force snapped the man's neck, and he stumbled, hands going around his head to reposition it back. He could hear Tubbo gag.

He should help, but he didn't want to leave Phil unprotected. Dream could take his two friends, he knew that.  _ He'll be fine- _

Dream fell back, narrowly missing a sword aimed at his throat, tripping George's feet and stomping on his hand. The man only growled, but Dream didn't seem to notice, kicking his shield up and into his own hands. In the same motion he turned and blocked Sapnap's sword, taking his axe and swinging at his opponent's knees.

Usually, the opponent would back up to avoid losing a kneecap. Sapnap didn't do that.

The axe went straight through his knee, amputating it. The man didn't even seem  _ to notice, _ grabbing Dream's shield and forcing his entire weight on it. Dream started falling, twisting at the last second and rolling away, completely dropping the shield. He popped up next to Tubbo, shieldless once again but otherwise unhurt.

The two didn't attack again. "We've been waiting for you to arrive." George's voice sounded like he had a neverending giggle bubbling up in his throat. Behind him, Sapnap popped his leg back on with a squelch that made Tubbo cringe. "Now our goddess can come back!"

As if on cue, the rain paused midair. A group of water droplets came together, forming the ocean goddess. She took in the sight and smiled. "Just who I was looking for. Well done."

Sapnap and George bowed, yellow eyes glazed in worship, and Techno glared at the goddess. "What do you want?"

"I already said." The goddess explained. "I tracked something of mine here, and I want it back." Her eyes turned to Dream. "If you give it to me, I'll even change all your friends back."

"All?" Tubbo asked, head tilted, and the goddess smiled, raising a hand. Suddenly, they were surrounded.

The entire server was there.  _ They all looked dead. _

Techno caught Wilbur's eye. The man was smiling, head half off his neck but looking joyful. He hoped that the real Wilbur couldn't see what he did, didn't know what he'd done.

"I don't have anything of yours." Dream was saying, and Techno tuned back in. "I never took anything from End."

"She didn't let you take it, dear." The goddess was saying. "She  _ blessed _ you with it, just like she blessed you with admin powers. Just let me pick apart your brain, I  _ know _ it's in there."

Well, Techno  _ wasn't _ going to let  _ that _ happen. He could fight his way through these people if he didn't have to worry about Phil. They needed a way out.

Wait. Wasn't his god and Dream's god close? Wouldn't the nether god care about all of this? The guy's spoken in his head before, he wondered if it went both ways.

_ 'Uh, hey! Nether!' _ he cringed at himself.  _ 'Oceania's here, and she says End gave Dream something, and she's turned our friends into drowned. Mind helping us out here?' _

Nothing happened. Techno sighed, because _ yeah,  _ he expected that.

"Wait, no!" Tubbo stepped forward, but Dream held out an arm. "No brain picking allowed!"

The goddess' smile was condescending. "Stay still and quiet, child. This is between me and End's chosen." Her eyes met Dream. "You'll survive the process, and I'll release your friends. Doesn't that seem like a good deal?"

If it was Techno, he'd probably do it, if he could be positive that the goddess would keep her end of the bargain. This wasn't Techno, though, and that meant _ no, _ this deal _ wasn't _ happening.

_ You know what? Screw it _ .

Techno placed Phil on the ground, summoning his admin weapon and forcing it into its crossbow form. It hummed angrily at him (it never liked this form-) but he ignored it, aiming a rocket at the goddess. "Not happening, lady."

“Long time no see, Techno. You’ve sure grown.” The goddess hummed, smiling, and Techno forgot that the goddess wanted to bless him. Oceania looked at his weapon and blinked, laughing. "You think  _ that _ can kill me?"

No, he knew it couldn't. She was a _ god _ after all. "I can try at least." He shifted, finger twitching in the trigger. “I sure am happy you’re not my sponsor.”

Oceania frowned, glaring. Before he could do anything, though, the floor underneath him vanished, replaced by a familiar purple portal. He got a glimpse of Ocean's shocked face before he fell through. Hot air washed over him, and he fell on cracked ground. Netherrack. Next to him Phil groaned, as did his other friends.

The nether god stood over them, hands on hips, face tilted towards the portal, as if _ daring _ the other god to follow. When she didn't, he turned towards them. "Hallo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Techno: Hallo  
> Nether: Hallo  
> Techno: Hah?  
> Nether: Hah?  
> Techno: BruuuUuUh  
> Nether: BruuuUuUh


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay… I am TENTATIVELY going back to an upload per day… cause I think I've got it wrapped up… I think. Anyway, Innit is back what's he gonna do?

Tommy groaned through a faceful of dirt. Picking himself up, he looked around the server. Joining servers always gave him a bad bout of vertigo.

There was no one there to greet him. He frowned- that was… abnormal, especially since Tubbo said he'd meet him when he spawned in.

He shrugged it off, leaving his room in Pogtopia and walking along the underground path to the rest of the SMP. Coming out of Tubbo's bunker, he glanced around in shock.

Did Manburg have a pool party or something?

He continued on, racking his brain for places everyone could be. Were they planning a surprise party for him or something? It's about  _ time _ they recognized his greatness!

Finally, someone came into view by the community house. He grinned. "Ey George!"

The man didn't turn to greet him, and Tommy frowned. Is George colorblind _ and _ deaf? He walked up to the man, grabbing his shoulder. "'ELLO-" 

The man's arm fell off. Tommy raised his hand, which was now holding a disconnected arm.

The hand moved in his grip.

_ He's going to be sick. _

"Ah, Tommy." George turned around, and _ what the hell? _ "Give me a hand here."

George's face,  _ his skin, _ it was all blue and _ dead _ and was this a trick? He just made a pun, maybe they're trying to prank him- "What the hell, George?!"

The man laughed, and his arm squirmed. Tommy gagged and dropped it. The thing wiggled, and George picked it up, popping it back in. "You've missed a lot, Tommy." He tilted his head, and his neck seemed to snap with the movement. "Sadly, our goddess has gone. You can't join us, so you're of no use to us."

The archer took out a sword, and Tommy didn't think anymore. He turned on his heel and  _ ran. _

He barreled out of the community house, panic making him faster. He needed to _ run, _ he needed to _ go, _ but  _ where?! _

_ Where was everyone else? _

Pogtopia was empty, right? He could go back there and figure out _ what the fuck was happening! _

He turned towards Manburg, skidding on the ground from how fast he was running. His lungs were starting to burn, but he wasn't done yet. He didn't know if _ that thing _ was chasing him or not, and he didn't want to look back to check.

He jumped down the stairs, landing wrongly and yelping as he tumbled. When he looked back up, George was there, staring. Tommy turned, running for Tubbo's bunker.

He didn't realize that George didn't follow. He didn't see his smile, either.

He dove into the bunker, basically lunging down the steps. He was going to bypass the entire thing when a hand shot out and grabbed his arm.

Ok,  _ he'll admit, he  _ **_may_ ** _ have screamed a bit. _

"Damnit, Tommy!" It was Wilbur, hands clapped over his ears and looking decidedly  _ not _ zombified. Tommy let out a sigh of relief. "You blew out my eardrums."

"Wilbur!" He ignored the man's complaints. "What the hell is going on?! Why is George  _ dead? _ His arm just  _ came off _ and-"

"Calm, Tommy." Wilbur placed his hands on the boy's shoulders, waiting for him to relax and breathe. "A god showed up while you were gone- she demanded something from us that we don't have, and she turned everyone else into…  _ those things. _ I barely got away."

Tommy's face crumpled. Where was Tubbo? "Are, are you the only one not turned?"

He shook his head, and Tommy felt hope start up in his chest. "Dream, Techno, Tubbo, and Phil were all ok, but then we got seperated. My chat has been acting up, so I haven't been able to reach them."

Tommy perked up, idea coming to mind. "Oh, I'll just do it then." He took out his chat and started a whisper to Tubbo.

_ Tommy: TUBBO WHAT IS GOING ON? _

_ Tommy: EVERYONE'S A ZOMBIE! _

There was a second of silence, and Tommy started to panic, pacing back and forth. Wilbur said they got out, but what if something happened and he was hurt-

_ Tubbo: I'll explain when we meet up _

_ Tubbo: Use the nether portal in Pogtopia, we'll meet you there _

Tommy closed the chat, turning to Wilbur. "They're in the nether." He explained. "We can take the Pogtopia portal." Wilbur nodded, and they started running down the underground pathway to Pogtopia. If Wilbur started lagging behind, Tommy didn't mention it. He didn't mention his strange limp either. They could deal with that after.

Pogtopia was still empty, and Tommy let out a breath of relief. The portal crackled as they went through.

The others were waiting on the other side, along with some guy he's never seen before. Tubbo grinned. "Tommy-" his eyes went wide with horror.

_ Wait a second… _

_ When'd a sword get around his throat? _

Tommy froze, eyes widening at the diamond blade. Wilbur was chuckling behind him, and- "What the hell, Wilbur?!"

Tommy twisted his head around and froze once again. Wilbur's  _ skin _ was flaking off, the layer underneath was  _ blue _ and  _ gross _ and  _ he was dead too. _

"Oh!" The man laughed. "You're so easy to trick, Tommy!"

_ Oh, he understands now. _

Fuck.

Before he could really start to panic, the unknown man sighed. "You drowned have _ no _ self preservation." He flicked his wrist, and fire exploded into a ring around them. Tommy winced at the heat, but Wilbur hissed, jerking away from it.

Was he…  _ was he melting? _

He was. His skin was sagging and falling off, turning into water before evaporating. He let out a short scream of frustration before he was gone. Dead.

The fire around them cut off. Tommy stared at the netherrack where Wilbur just stood. It wasn't even wet.  _ "W-wilbur-" _

"Is fine." The man said at the same time Techno placed a hand on his shoulder. He appreciated the admin for trying, he wasn't the comforting type in the first place. "That wasn't your real friend- they're just drowned with your friend's minds. Oceania specializes in things like that."

Oceania… does he mean the ocean goddess? Phil was talking about them awhile ago, after the admin fiasco. Were they dealing with gods here? Was this guy…?

He gave him a run over. Well _ of course he was. _ Tommy's never seen someone so godly before. Nether, he guesses, since that's where they were. 

He took a deep breath. Ever since he learned about the respawn glitch, he's worked on keeping calm, de-escalating situations instead of the opposite. Being calm and ready was better than what he used to do.

That didn't mean he wasn't still fucking  _ confused. _ "I was gone for _ two fucking days,  _ guys." He started. "And now the server's in chaos. What the hell?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He enters how he leaves- screaming bloody murder.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha final chapter amount reveal go brrrrrr

_"Why'd you even want that guy? You never cared about my chosen before."_

_Dream took a step back, hiding around a secluded corner. Desert and Ocean stood at a beach, the former skipping stones into the water._

_"I had already chosen an admin. That's why I asked you to choose him instead." Ocean explained, and Dream narrowed his eyes._

_That was a lie._

_Gods will choose a new admin every one to two years. That meant there were a lot of admins running around, but that's not what made Dream pause. He knew Ocean hadn't chosen an admin yet. She never chose an admin for that year. She was lying to her closest friend, why?_

_Why did she want Desert to bless a person that she could bless herself?_

_Desert threw another stone, one that bounced 13 times. "Wasn't he a bit old though? And he wasn't really worthy- he's got some hunter tendencies."_

_He suddenly knew who they were talking about. It wasn't just any admin, it was_ **_their_ ** _admin. The one that wanted them all dead. Why did Ocean want to bless him?_

_"I noticed!" Ocean snapped, irritated, and Dream smirked to himself. The admin got what he deserved. He just wishes he could punish Desert as well-_

_Wait._

_Desert wasn't the one who wanted to bless the admin. Ocean was, and she got Desert to do it for her. Was she trying to blame desert for what happened? Throw him under the bus and get away scot free?_

_"Woah, chill, Oceania." Desert held up his hands, face pinching. "You know I took the fall for that. Endie and Nether_ **_were not_ ** _happy."_

_She scoffed. "They are of little importance to me." She got up, and Dream pressed himself further into the enclave. "Come, we'll talk about this more later."_

_They started moving, and Dream turned around, going back the way he came. He passed a lake and took a second to look at his reflection. When he stared at his eyes, though, they were purple._

_And he had wings._

**_That wasn't him._ **

The closest fortress was too far away in Dream's opinion, but they didn't have much of a choice if they wanted off the server. Nether led the way, Phil tossed over his shoulder. He had healed the man, but he said he still needed rest.

The others were quiet as they made their way along, besides Tommy, who couldn't keep his mouth shut. He spoke about anything that came to mind to anyone that would listen. Techno would just grunt answers, and Tubbo tried to converse, but at some point during the flood he must've inhaled water and it was finally coming back to haunt him, so his time was mostly filled with coughing.

Dream himself was busy thinking. There was something in the back of his mind, nagging him about _something_ but he couldn’t figure out what. It felt important, so why couldn’t he remember?

They made it to the stronghold, and Nether turned back to them, face grave. “Alright, now that we’re here, I can link this place back to my own fortress. Fair warning- you might get _a little_ sick.

The nether brick ground opened up underneath them, and they were suddenly falling.

Dream hit the ground hard, vertigo hitting him like a truck. He groaned, rolling onto his side. He heard someone throw up besides him.

Tommy was the first one to stand up. “A _little_ sick?!”

Nether shrugged, and Dream would’ve glared if the whole world wasn’t spinning. “You'll be fine in a few minutes. That’s not the point, we’ve got places to be.”

He turned back around and started marching into the new nether fortress, which was bigger and more detailed than any fortress Dream’s ever seen. He pushed down his nausea, standing and helping Tubbo up. He thinks Techno was the one retching, since he was leaning over the side of the path. The other admin seemed fine otherwise, so he hurried along after the god. “Why’d you bring us here?”

Nether’s face had gone from a stoic indifference to a concerned anxiety, and that didn’t bode well. “I left her alone here to get you guys. She was practically unprotected…”

The god trailed off, turning in the maze of the fortress. The next corner was lined with withers- not wither _skeletons,_ but actual withers. Dream jumped back, surprise, but they didn’t look at him. Nether patted one on the head as he passed, and the creature seemed to purr.

“OH MY-” Tommy had rounded the corner, pausing and slapping a hand over his mouth. One of the withers gave him an unimpressed look, and he squeaked. “Uh-”

“Cool.” Techno was the last one of the group, trailing behind Tubbo. He didn’t look sick anymore, thankfully. The other admin walked up to one of the withers, poking it experimentally. When it didn’t affect him, he patted one of it’s heads. While it was neat, Dream wasn’t about to try that himself.

Nether said ‘she’ was practically unprotected. This didn’t _seem_ unprotected. Who was he protecting, and what from?

They continued to follow the god until they reach a room that wasn’t the same red color that the rest of the fortress was. It was blue, made of the warped fungus and blue lanterns. Endermen kept teleporting in and out, circling something in the center of the room. Dream took a step forward, keeping his eyes low to see what they were looking at. When the others tried to follow, the endermen hissed at them. He finally caught sight of what the endermen seemed to be protecting.

It was the end goddess.

She lay on her back, warped fungus traveling up her torso and circling around a gaping hole in her chest, filling and covering it up. The edge of the wound was black and rotting, like Dream’s wound had been. She also had a _blue_ scar on her wrist, like a newly healed wound. 

Looking at the goddess, seeing the god that blessed him look like this… it set off something in him that he couldn’t describe. He didn’t know if it was fear or hate.

“The ocean goddess did this?” Dream asked softly. He didn’t know if Nether could hear him over the whispering endermen.

“I think so.” His voice boomed over the sounds surrounding them, and the endermen got louder, screeching before teleporting away, leaving an empty room. His friends could now easily see the goddess, and gasps filled the room.

“Was this why Dream suddenly got hurt?” Tubbo asked, and Tommy whirled around, questions pouring from his lips. Dream forgot he wasn’t there to see that happen.

The god flicked his wrist, and blocks of wool formed in the corner. He set the still unconscious Phil down on them, stretching his shoulders. “There’s a reason why we haven't punished or killed any of the other gods.” He says as an answer. “We kill or hurt them, we kill or hurt the humans they’ve blessed.”

“That ocean bitch doesn’t really seem to care much about that, though.” Tommy muttered, taking a few steps forward. This was his and Tubbo’s first time seeing the goddess, wasn’t it? “Is she dying?”

“No.” Nether said, and Dream let out a sigh of relief. “She’s hibernating- regaining strength so that she can fully heal. I don’t know how long it will take, which is why she’s here and not in the end. Oceania can’t come to the nether. Water doesn’t work well here. She did tell me something before she went under, though.”

Dream turned to the god, curious, but Techno beat him to it. “What?”

“She told me to find her memories.” Nether explained, looking at Dream, and something in the back of his mind seemed to wake up. “Gods can give their admins certain memories, if we choose to, so End blessing one of her admins with her memories is a possibility. I think whatever is in those memories can help us fix something very important.”

Dream knew where he was going with this. Nether thought End blessed him with her memories, and while Dream isn’t sure if that’s true or not, he was curious about something else. “What do you think her memories could help you fix?”

Nether caught his eye, and something in them made Dream freeze. “She said she figured out the mystery of the respawn glitch.”


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is a universal rule that all George chapters are pathetically short, I don't understand it either.

George walked along the wood path, eyes set forward but twitching every which way, watching and waiting. His goddess had told him to look out for Dream, and that's what he was going to do.

The server had been quiet for the last few days. Oceania had given them all jobs to do, and they were all doing them with the vigilance and respect that their goddess deserved. So what if he rarely ever sees his friends, or that he barely sleeps anymore? That all came second to his goddess.

He did a loop around the main nether portal before backtracking to Manburg, going through the not so hidden bunker and to Pogtopia to check on that portal. While no one came through it, he did find someone else.

"Wilbur." He nodded. "I see your plan didn't work."

The other man frowned at him, which was strange. George was simply pointing out the obvious, he wasn't insulting him or anything. "They were ready." He explained. " There was too much fire."

George stared at the man. "How did they know that fire would work against us?"

"I don't know!" Wilbur snapped, and George's eyes narrowed. The man brushed passed him forcefully, popping both of their shoulders out of their sockets. George popped his back in easily, but Wilbur didn't bother, going to the surface.

Clearly, he was hiding something.

Their goddess told them that when one of them is acting strange, like Wilbur is, they need to tell her immediately. He should find her and tell her.

So why wasn't he doing just that?

George frowned, turning around and heading back to the SMP. He should tell his goddess about Wilbur, but something in the back of his head said not to. It said that this wasn't important, that Wilbur had just died and was just getting his senses back. His goddess didn't need to know.

He decided not to tell her.

Instead, he makes his way back to Manburg, but instead of heading out of the bunker he goes farther in, into a newly dug out area. He finds Sapnap sitting down in the first room, which was empty besides a few chairs and a wall on the far side made completely of glass.

"George!" Sapnap exclaimed, and he was still as energetic as he was before their goddess blessed them. The younger man shot up, making grabby hands like he wanted a hug. They both knew that wasn't possible- hugs just caused them to both lose body parts due to the force. George knew what he really wanted, anyway. "Please-"

"No." Sapnap had been asking for a flint and steel ever since he was blessed, and it was starting to annoy George. He wished their goddess had removed his love of fire when she blessed them, because now it was ten times more dangerous than before. "I don't have one anyway. I just came to see you."

"Awe." Sapnap gave him a dopy grin that would've been adorable if he wasn't missing a chunk of skin on his jaw, revealing the bone underneath. "I knew you'd miss me soon."

George groaned, loudly. He wished Dream was here, because he wasn't in the mood for talking and Dream could take over, but Dream wasn't a good guy anymore. He refused the blessing and was now trying to ruin everything. George was tasked with capturing him.

And Sapnap was tasked with protecting their original bodies.

George walked over to the glass wall, looking through. The next room over housed dozens of beds, almost all of them full with sleeping people. To bless them, their goddess had to transfer their minds into better, undying vessels. It was better this way, _they_ were better this way.

He pretended that he didn't miss physical contact, and that he wasn't tired to the point of collapse, and that he didn't miss his friends. Everything was fine.

He found his old body sleeping among the rest. Something in the back of his head nagged him, and he stared.

Sapnap moved to his side, eyes searching for his own body and staring as well. It was quiet as they watched their chests rise and fall slowly. Their bodies lived, even though they had no minds.

"Something's wrong." George finally said. He knew he could trust Sap with these feelings- he wouldn't tell their goddess.

He nodded. "I feel it too." He admitted. "I just don't know what it is."

Neither looked away from their bodies. The urge to get closer clawed away at him. Their goddess had said that it was a side effect of the blessing- their minds are drawn to their original bodies, even if their new ones were better. He ignored the feeling.

"We'll figure this out." He promised, wishing he could physically comfort his friend without losing a limb. Sapnap nodded, but didn't do much else. Together, they continued staring at their original- their _real_ bodies. 

Unbeknownst to them, someone else stood outside their room, just out of sight. Wilbur listened into the conversation, grinning to himself. He tucked his hands into his pockets, turning around and walking away.

He had things to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur: *Gets burned alive*  
> Wilbur: Maybe I'm on the wrong side here...


	33. Chapter 33

_Dream skipped around, small feet flinging sand as he jumped on top of a sandstone block. The next block was three quarters as tall as him, so he had to climb over it. After a few more minutes of climbing, he reached the top of the structure. He looked around, frowning. It was missing a block._

_“Over here Desert!” He called, and the god appeared in front of him. He pointed at the missing spot, and Desert snapped his fingers, the hole filling with more sandstone._

_“Thanks End.” The god looked to be a young adult. Unlike last time Dream saw him, he wasn’t covered in linen and gauze. This time, he was wearing white cloth that looked much more comfortable. It allowed Dream to see his tanned face and sandy hair. The god looked around. “You sure you’ll be able to get down?”_

_Dream nodded, and wings appeared on his back. “Watch!” He jumped off the side, picking up speed as he glided down. He couldn’t stop himself, and he hit the ground hard, sand filling his mouth. He groaned, spitting it out._

_“You have to be more careful.” A hand grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him up. “You’re still the size of a child, End.”_

_He wasn’t End. He doesn’t know why they keep calling him End. Again, he ignored how his features didn’t match up to the body he was in. “I’m fine.” He scoffed. “Need any more help?”_

_If not, he could go help Jungle, who was days away from completing and integrating their own biome._

_“Lemme check.” The other god disappeared, and Dream sat down, looking at the temple he helped Desert create. The god deserved a temple, and he seemed so excited to completely implement it. He can’t wait to tell Nether about everything he’s done today._

_“Hey End.” A new voice said, and Dream turned to see Ocean walking up to him. “You’re helping out Desert? Is Nether with you?”_

_“Nope.” He shook his head, stretching the wings behind his back. Wings were cool, maybe he should add them to the endgame. “He’s with Jungle, getting everything set up. I wanted to help Desert.”_

_Desert’s temple wasn’t getting integrated with the jungle, but it was coming up next and En-Dream wanted to be productive. Ocean nodded in understanding._

_“Makes sense.” She said, before smiling. Dream didn’t like her smile. “How are you doing with learning your powers, End?”_

_Dream frowned. Even though he looked like a human 10 year old, he was only a 3 or 4. He hasn’t had much success in figuring out his powers. Funny, since he was the god (goddess-) of victory. “They’re hard.”_

_“You’ll get them eventually.” Ocean patted his head, a hand skimming along his wings and he instantly pulled them back, vanishing them away from the touch. “Here, I saw this cool underground thing Desert has in his temple. Want to see?”_

_That sounded interesting. Dream nodded, getting up and following the goddess inside. He briefly wonders where Desert went, but soon forgot when Ocean showed him a pit in the middle of the temple._

_“Wow.” Dream stepped closer. “That’s cool-” He yelped, slipping on some water he’s pretty sure_ **_wasn’t_ ** _there earlier. He fell into the pit, bringing his wings out just in time to stop himself from landing harshly on the ground. The pit he was in suddenly turned dark when the light of the temple was snuffed out by a block blocking the way. “What happened- Ocean? Oceania!”_

_The goddess didn’t answer and Dream frowned. Where’d she go? Did she not see Dream fall? Please don’t say she left and didn’t notice him fall- “Oceania! Desert!”_

_Still no answer._

_He was starting to panic- something about the close walls and darkness felt suffocating- like a memory he couldn't reach was emerging. He flapped his wings, getting a few feet into the air before they gave up and made him fall back down. He focused on teleporting, on calling Nether telepathically, but nothing worked. He couldn’t control his powers, he was trapped. “Anyone?! Help!”_

_It didn’t take long for him to go into a full blown panic. His wings started moving haphazardly on his back, pushing him into the wall and making him hit his head. Dark hair fluttered around him, and the only light in the room came from his purple eyes, which were glowing brighter and brighter._

_Suddenly, he wasn’t in the pit anymore. The walls were still sandstone, but it was a box, not a pit. The box was also filled with water, and he could feel his lungs fill up as he pounded against the stone, unable to get out (_ **_“let me out!”_ ** _). The light from his eyes dimmed as he lost too much oxygen, and his lungs gave out, collapsing from the pressure. His eyes closed, and he blinked, suddenly back in the pit._

 _He gasped, breathing going harsh and scarce. His vision had gone blurry, and his lungs were aching with need. He blinked, and he was suddenly back in the box, drowning and_ **_coming back_ ** _and_ **_drowning again let me out-!_ **

_He blinked again, and this time he was in the admin’s dungeon, and the admin was laughing at him and pulling him against the bars and it_ **_hurt_ ** _it was_ **_painful_ ** _it was_ **_agony_ ** _make it_ **_stop_ ** _make it_ **_stop let me out-!_ **

_He felt something move under his foot, and he was suddenly back in the pit. He looked under him to see a stone pressure plate sink into the floor._

_What was that for?_

_The floor exploded under him._

  
  
  


“Dream!”

He shot up, gasping. Tubbo stood in front of him, eyes concerned. “Yeah?” He asked weakly, panting. He’s pretty sure he had a nightmare, but he isn’t sure what that nightmare was. He just knew he didn't like it.

“You were mumbling in your sleep.” Tubbo explained. “You kept bringing up water and the admin, so I thought I should wake you up.”

Dream closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and sitting up. He was leaning against the wool in the corner of the room. He didn’t mean to fall asleep, but he was up all night and it snuck up on him. After another moment, he stood up, looking around. Techno was talking to Tommy and Phil, who had woken up. Hopefully informing them of what they missed, because Dream didn’t want to be the one who told them everything. Tubbo was still next to him, and Nether was leaning against the platform End was set on.

“We were waiting for Phil to wake up before looking through the memories.” Tubbo explained. “But then you fell asleep and we thought we could all use a break.”

They could’ve woken Dream up, it wouldn’t have been too much of a problem. He didn’t bring it up, turning to Nether. “So, how is this going to work?”

Was Nether going to pick his brain like Oceania said she would? If so, he might have to rethink this.

“When gods bless admins with their memories, the admin usually can’t tell that they have any new memories at the beginning.” Nether explained. “Its a coping mechanism, of sorts. The memories will first appear as dreams that the admin will most likely forget. The dreams start becoming more vivid and detailed, until the admin can fully remember the dream. The admins usually think that they are the person in the dreams, and not the god that blessed them with the memories. What have your dreams been lately?”

Dream shrugged, knowing that the god probably already knew his answer. “I haven’t really been remembering them.”

Nether nodded. “That last dream you had was definitely a memory.” He said, and Dream jolted, because could he see Dream’s dreams? “I didn't see it, but I could feel End’s aura coming off you.”

Okay, maybe he couldn’t read dreams, but could he read minds?

“So what does that mean?” Tubbo asked as the others started listening into the conversation. “If he can’t remember them then how do they help?” 

“I should be able to jumpstart the memories, if End blessed you correctly- which she did, the perfectionist.” Nether’s tone had bite, but when he glanced at the unconscious goddess his eyes were soft. “The thing is, I can’t go in and watch the memories myself. That would completely break his brain, and End would have my head.” He looked at Techno. “I can, though, put other people into the memories, and watch through my own admin.” 

Techno frowned. “Would that break my brain?”

“Your brain is already broken.” Tommy muttered, ducking under Techno’s swing and laughing.

“You’re my admin, it’ll have no effect on you.” Nether assured. “I could send the rest of you into the memories too. You won’t be able to interact with anything, but you’ll be able to see what End wanted us to see.”

“More heads to figure out the solution.” Tubbo suggested, and Dream ruffled his hair just because he could.

“Exactly.” Nether nodded, grinning. 

There was something else that was weighing on Dream, though. “Why would Oceania care so much about these memories?” He asked, and the room went still. “I mean, she tried to _kill_ End for this, why?”

“I’m hoping End’s memories have the answer to that as well.” Nether looked as confused as him. He placed a hand on End’s forehead, closing his eyes and leaning forward, whispering something under his breath. After a moment of quiet, he backed off and turned to Dream, holding out his hand. “Come on, I don’t bite.”

Dream doubted that, but he took the hand anyway. Nether snapped his fingers, and a chair made of blue planks popped into existence in front of the platform. Nether pushed him into it, taking back his hand to instead place it on the top of his head. “Try to stay in the seat, if you can.”

Dream narrowed his eyes at the god, but then the room got blurry and his head started to inch, badly. He went to scratch it before realizing that his entire body was still, paralyzed, even. The room was suddenly empty, besides him and the god. His eyes darted to Nether, who wasn’t looking at him. Instead, he was looking at the space his friends used to be, his free hand raised and covered in an orange glow, like fire. “Close your eyes, it’ll be easier.” He said, not looking at the admin.

Dream complied, and suddenly he wasn’t there anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Memory hopping time!


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory lore heavy chapter cause it can't all just be from Phil

Techno looked around, confused. The sky was pitch black, and he was standing on obsidian? He must be in the end, but why was he in the end?

He went to look around, before realizing that he couldn’t control his body. He panicked, trying to move, blink, _anything,_ but nothing worked. Suddenly, he shifted, eyes moving to follow a dragon flying in the distance, and he noticed what he was wearing.

Red armor. The armor clanked as he shifted, causing sparks and catching on fire. His body made no move to put it out, instead running a hand through his hair.

He wasn’t wearing a mask. _Where was his mask?!_

This wasn’t his body, was it? He tried to get a better look, but was having troubles. His skin was red? And when he went to mess with his hair, his hands bumped against horns.

_He was in the Nether’s body._

The thought calmed him slightly, knowing that that was the reason why he had no control. This was a memory, right? That’s why he couldn’t move or do anything.

Where were his friends?

Before he could figure that out, a pale arm with a slightly greenish tint appeared on the side of the tower. A teenage girl’s head appeared after, and she huffed, hauling herself up. Behind her, giant wings flapped in the air, pulling her the rest of the way up.

She looked like the younger version of the End goddess. Do Gods grow?

“You should’ve flown up here.” Techno’s mouth moves and speaks and he was startled by it. 

“I did.” End huffed again, conjuring an obsidian block to sit down and lean against. She panted. “I just didn’t make it all the way. Why are you up here, anyway? You should be helping me figure out what I should do for the new update.”

He pouted. “I don’t know why you get a new update before me.” He muttered. “My realm is older.”

“Wasn't my idea.” The teenager muttered back, stretching out her wings. It was quiet for a second, and both Techno and the nether god seemed to realize they wouldn’t like her next words. “Nether… what happened to the old End?”

The old _what?!_

His body sighed, like this wasn’t the first time End had asked. “End-”

“No!” End snapped, face contorting into a snarl. It reminded Techno of an enderman. “You keep saying I’m not old enough! That excuse won’t work forever. I’m getting my own update, Nether, I deserve to know what happened.”

It was quiet for a second. His face contorted into something he knew looked torn. “You know there’s only one thing that can truly kill a god, right?”

“Yeah.” End nodded, frowning. “Well, it also depends, you know? If you drown too much or if Oceania keeps getting thrown in lava, that could kill you eventually.”

He knew End wasn’t a big fan of water, either. That’s why her endermen couldn’t step in it. Techno wondered how he knew that fact, before guessing that he was getting some of Nether’s thoughts. “That’s only on special occasions, End.” Nether sounded like a teacher, or a parent or bigger sibling, trying to teach the younger goddess. “What can kill all gods?”

End pouted, lips pursed. “The only thing that can kill a god is another god.” She recites, as if she’s heard it multiple times over. She pauses, confused. “Are you saying another god killed the old End? Like how Jungle killed the first Woods?”

Well, _that_ was a question for another day. Nether shook his head. “No... When I said that, I might have covered something up.”

End scoffed, purple eyes glowing brighter. “Just tell me, Nether.”

“Only a god can kill another god.” Nether repeated. “That includes a god killing themself.”

It was quiet.

“You-” End’s eyes were wide, and she suddenly looked much too young and small. “You mean-”

“I don’t know why he did it.” Nether sighed, pointing to the edge of the island, where the ground met the void. “The old End jumped off the side of the world, into the void. He never came back. A month or so later, and we found you.”

End was quiet, looking at the ground, hands shaking. Nether shifted, standing up and walking over. He sat down next to the teen, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in comfort.

The moment they made contact, Techno was shot out of End’s body. He collided with someone else, and he heard a familiar yelp. “Dream?”

Dream shook his head, holding a hand against it. “Ow, okay, that’s weird.” He shook his head again. They both stood a few feet away from the two gods, and now Techno could clearly see both of them. Nether looked to be an adult while End was still a teenager, which was weird. “That’s dizzying.”

“There you guys are!”

Techno turned to see the rest of their group on the other side of the pillar. Techno frowned- why hadn’t he seen them before? “Hallo.”

Tommy cursed at his greeting, but Phil ignored it, stepping up to him. “Were you guys _in_ the gods?”

“Think so.” Dream muttered, still holding his head. Tubbo stood next to him, face tilted in concern. “Nether was right- I kept wondering why he was calling me End. I thought I was myself.”

“I knew I was in Nether’s body.” Techno shrugged. “Maybe it’s because we’re watching the memories in your head. It affects you differently.”

“But why were you in Nether, Techno?” Tommy asked. “And why’d you both pop out the moment they touched?”

“Nether’s channeling through Techno, right?” Phil started. “Maybe that had something to do with it. I have no clue about that other thing, though.”

“Does it really matter right now?” Tubbo finally cut in. “There was an _old End?”_

Oh yeah. That was important, wasn’t it. “Nether said he killed himself, too.” He added on. “There can be multiple gods for a single-”

He was cut off by Nether moving away from End. He was suddenly pulled back into Nether’s body, and his friends disappeared as his entire focus was drawn back to End. “You did deserve to know.” Nether was saying. “And I promise you, it had nothing to do with you. You appearing just tells us that he was truly gone.”

End’s face was red, and she had drying tear tracks running down it. She sniffled, rubbing her nose. “O-Ok…” She murmured. “I-I’m going to… going to… go. Go and… think.” Her wings extended, and she jumped off the pillar, flying away. Nether watched her go and sighed.

There was a pull in Techno’s chest and he was suddenly elsewhere. He was still in the end, but now they were by the portal that led them back to the overworld.

“You’re here.” He spun around to see Phil and the others again. “I’m guessing Nether isn’t in this memory.”

He was proven right when he heard whispering a few blocks away. End was back, much younger than she was before. 7 or 8, maybe. She was dressed completely in black, and the ponytail she seemed to have done herself was falling out and into her face. She looked like she was one shout away from being caught doing something she shouldn’t of been doing.

“Look Tubbo!” Tommy pointed. “She’s younger than us!”

“She looks like she isn’t supposed to be here.” Tubbo observes as End shushes a passing enderman. The tall being stares at her, patting her head and whispering soothingly as she passes.

End makes it to the portal, and her wings appear. She jumps, flapping once to make it over the bedrock block and into the portal. She disappears, and suddenly the environment changes.

They’re in the portal with her.

Her wings are flapping lazily, trying to right her as she slowly falls in the brown abyss they found themselves in. Techno had no clue what she was doing.

**_I see the player you mean…_ **

Techno paused, blinking. Was that..?

“That’s the two people at the end of the game.” Phil confirmed his thoughts. “What does End want with them?”

“Did End create them?” Tubbo asked. “Or the old end, at least?”

Tommy laughed. “End created two people to forever talk to each other.”

**_End? Hello._ **

They all paused. That’s not the next line. They all knew the end poem- most server schools teach it at some point. Techno forgot what came after _‘I like this player. It played well. It did not give up.’_ but he knew that the second line did not have ‘hello’ in it.

“Hi.” End fumbled in mid air, catching herself and flipping about. “Can I ask you guys something?”

**_Of course dear._ **

**_We rarely ever get godly visitors. What do you wish to know?_ **

End bit her lip, looking guilty. “You guys were created by the old End, right?”

**_We were._ **

**_He is a part of us, we are a part of him._ **

“Ok… well, what happened to him?” End asked, and Techno suddenly realized what she was doing. She was trying to go behind Nether’s back and figure out what happened to the old End. Techno couldn’t blame her. “And the respawn glitch- I don’t get it. You guys were around before it started, right? Do you know what happened?”

**_That first question, we cannot answer._ **

**_You are too young, that knowledge will haunt you for the rest of your days._ **

**_As for your second question, it is a long story._ **

**_One you won’t completely understand._ **

“They know why the respawn glitch happens?” Phil shot up from where they were sitting. The moving brown void was giving them all vertigo. “She’s a little kid, that means she’s known the answer for a long time now!”

“Phil.” Tommy tugged on his sleeve, for once calm. “We don’t know what happened yet.” Techno was inclined to agree with him there.

End pouted, tears pricking at the edges of her eyes. “I’m not too young to understand!”

**_Wipe your tears, child._ **

**_They are of no use here._ **

**_You want to learn about the respawn glitch? To summarize, we don’t have the full answer._ **

**_But we do know why it started. It’s due to the death of the first End._ **

Techno... was not expecting that. “What?”

“What?” End asked at the same time, and she did a full flip in the air, trying to seemingly swim closer to the words hovering in the air. The voices seemed to come from every direction, so she couldn’t use them to pinpoint where the two were. “How?”

**_Respawning is a cycle, child._ **

**_A cycle within the cycle of life. You are born, you live, you grow old, you die. Respawning is different._ **

**_You live, you die, you come back._ **

**_You come back to live again, to die again, and repeat._ **

**_Until you become old and true death takes you._ **

**_It is all a cycle._ **

Techno didn’t see where they were going with this. 

“I don’t get it.” Tommy muttered. “Can’t they just speak english?”

Tubbo was the one that smacked him upside the head this time.

“I know that.” End said, face scrunched up. “But what does it have to do with the glitch?”

**_There is another cycle, goddess of the end._ **

**_One that you are closely involved in._ **

**_One that connects to the cycle of life and the respawn cycle._ **

**_That is the endgame cycle._ **

**_A new world is created. A player lives and survives in that world. They fight, kill, travel-_ **

**_And they end up in your domain._ **

**_There, they kill the dragon, and enter this place. Here, the cycle ends._ **

**_Here, the cycle restarts._ **

**_Child, tell us._ **

**_What would happen if a cycle loses one of its parts?_ **

“It wouldn’t work anymore.” Tommy answered for End. “So what? This is the ‘endgame cycle’ or whatever, not the respawn cycle.”

“They said they were connected. If something happened-” Phil paused, eyes widening in realization. _“Oh.”_

“What?” End cut in. “It wouldn’t work, would it? But the endgame cycle is perfect, so how does it affect the respawn cycle?”

**_The endgame cycle is perfect-_ **

**_Now._ **

**_But it wasn’t always._ **

**_It lost its god years ago. The cycle was broken. Your creation fixed it._ **

**_But the destruction of one cycle leads to the destruction of the others._ **

**_Your creation fixed the endgame cycle. The respawn cycle was left broken, since the only one who could fix it-_ **

**_Had died long ago._ **

“No.” End seemed as shocked as the rest of them. Techno still couldn’t really believe what he was hearing. Was he understanding this correctly? “Bu-but there has to be a way-”

**_There may be a way._ **

**_But that way has been lost to time._ **

**_And it may never be found._ **

**_And lastly, child._ **

**_No matter what you hear of the death of the old you, know for certain-_ **

**_That he had no choice in the matter._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys saw me when I thought up the idea of including the two voices in the end portal you would've thought I found the cure to cancer I was so happy with myself.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha ha ha torture

The memory ends, but it doesn’t change to a new one. Instead, Phil is shot back into the real world. He stumbles, shaking his head as a wave of dizziness slams into him.

_What did he just watch?_

“Gods can be reincarnated?!” His voice was testy, but boy he was _confused_ and he wanted answers. He’s never read about that in any books he’s found, and he feels like it would be important to add that _gods can be reborn._

Nether sighed, as if he knew this would be the first question. “Reincarnation wouldn’t be the right word, because they aren’t the same god.” He explained. “They represent the same realm and same themes, and End might have some of old End’s memories, but they are their own separate beings.”

“What?!” Tommy flailed his arms, looking more confused than worried. _“English,_ man!”

“Okay then.” Nether rolled his eyes, and someone behind Phil snorted. “The original gods were all created at the same time, and together we created the first world. As time progressed, we started to understand our powers better and started to create more complex things, like living beings. You with me?”

He spoke like a parent explaining something to a three year old, and if Phil wasn’t so high strung right now he would laugh. Tommy sputtered, about to retort when Techno knocked him upside the head. “We get it.” He said instead. “Go on.”

“Good.” Nether nodded, continuing. “The thing is, in the beginning, there _was no_ nether or end or desert or jungle. As we perfected our skills, we started creating new biomes and objects. End and I were the only ones strong enough to create realms- don’t ask why we don’t know. We named these biomes and realms after ourselves. The thing is, instead of being free floating gods, we now had places that were _ours._ We became our biomes, and these bodies just became vessels. We had a tether to this world, which means, to a certain viewpoint, _we couldn’t die.”_

“Huh?” Tubbo cut in. “But, but the old End died?”

“I’m getting there.” Nether’s voice took on an exasperated tone. “Now that we were tethered to places, unless we took those biomes out of the world completely, we would never be able to fully die. That doesn’t mean that we can’t be killed, but even if we’re killed, our tether to our biomes would keep us from fully dying. That leads to either two things- the dead god would be stuck in limbo, unable to die but unable to live as well, or the god would die and a new one would take its place. That’s what happened to the old End.”

That meant that they could get rid of the ocean goddess and it wouldn’t upset the balance of everything too much, right? Except for one thing. “What about the old end god’s admins?” Phil asked. “Did they die with the old god or did the blessing transfer to this god?”

Nether winced, and Phil suddenly didn’t want to know the answer. “They died with the old end.” He murmured. “There is a way to transfer the blessing from one version of a god to another, but no one knows how. When the old End died, his admins all went into comas. By the time this End appeared, only five were still alive. Only two woke up from the comas, though.” He looked away. “He had blessed hundreds of admins, and only two transferred over and survived his death.”

Well, that got rid of the killing Oceania idea. Phil sighed in frustration, gritting his teeth.

“Okay, so killing her is off the table.” Dream said, ignoring Techno’s ‘for now’. “Any other way to stop her? She’s turning our friends into zombies and she _obviously_ doesn’t care about End’s admins.”

“There’s also no way to fix the respawn glitch.” Techno cut in, and Phil had almost forgotten about that part. “Unless those voices were lying.”

“Why don’t we go and ask them?” Tubbo suggested, and shrugged when everyone looked at him. “What? We’re in the gods’ realm right now, right? Why don’t we go hop over to the end and ask?”

“I don’t think they can help us, Tubbo.” Tommy butted in. “I think to fix the glitch, we would have to bring the old End back.”

That may work, but Phil has no clue how to do that and Nether was shaking his head. “Impossible.” He said. “Even if it was, both the old End and new End share the same life force. For one to exist, the other would have to die. And if she dies, her admins are likely to go with her.”

Dream hummed, scratching his chin. “So we can’t bring him back… you said that this End might have some of old End’s memories. Is there a way to access them, cause it seemed like the old End’s death wasn’t as cut and clean as you thought.”

 _‘He had no choice in the matter.’_ What did that mean? With everything else the two said, he almost forgot about that last tidbit. He had no choice in his death, but didn't he kill himself? Dream was right, something didn’t add up there.

The Nether, even though he had seen the memories too, still seemed shaken by that idea. He made his way over to End, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. There was a type of sorrow in his eyes that Phil rarely ever sees- a deep sadness and regret. From the memories he’s seen, even though Nether was much more childish then End, Nether was still the one that basically raised her (even though he seemed to be pretty young while doing it). He gave Phil big brother vibes in the same way Dream and Tubbo gave him big and little brother vibes. The same vibes Techno and Tommy had, the same vibes Tommy and Wilbur-

He cut off that line of thought.

“If she does have those memories they’ll be locked.” He placed a hand on her forehead. “As far as I know, she’s only mentioned seeing the old End when she’s running on high emotions. They’ll normally be locked to the gods, but maybe, as her admin and as normal people, they’ll open to you.”

Phil was skeptical. “How would we even find the memories? We can’t dig around in people’s minds.”

Nether chuckled. “You forget that she’s a god. Just because she’s unconscious doesn’t mean she’s not listening. If there are any memories she thinks need to be opened, she’ll help you find them.” He beckoned Dream forward. “Place your hand here.”

Dream looked cautious and wary, and Phil didn’t blame him one bit. The admin slowly stepped forward, gingerly placing his hand on the sleeping goddess. Nether removed his hand, instead grabbing Dream’s shoulder with one hand and raising the other hand in the air. His empty hand started glowing orange, like it did with the other memories.

Phil had one second to tense before he was suddenly somewhere else.

“I’ve seen this before.” This time, Dream was with them, which meant that this wasn’t his End’s memories. They were someplace dark and small and- wait. Was that water? Phil couldn’t feel their surroundings, and his breathing was regular, but he could swear that the box they were in was submerged in water. “I don’t know how but this is familiar-”

Something thumped against the side of the box, and they all jumped. Someone else was in there with them, a young man with dark hair and blazing purple eyes. He slammed his shoulder into the wall, but the water cushioned his assault. The man, the _god,_ bellowed. **_“Let me out!”_ **

No one answered him, and he continued his assault against the wall with no luck. They watched as the god grunted, bubbles of air escaping his mouth. Gods couldn’t drown, could they?

After a few more seconds of struggle, the god floated to the ground, gasping for air. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and he stilled.

“Wait.” Techno was the first to speak up. The group had gone quiet. “Did he just _die?”_

“No way!” Tommy immediately rejected the idea. “He’s a god, gods can’t drown-”

He was cut off by the god jolting up, gasping and opening his eyes. New air bubbles escaped his lips, and he immediately went back to attacking the walls and shouting for help. 

Soon, the god fell unconscious again, just to be jolted back to life moments later, only to drown again. Time seemed to speed up, and the cycle didn’t stop, the old End god got no closer to breaking down the walls. His eyes, though, did go dull.

“This is torture.” Phil spoke up, tired of the quietness. He doesn’t know how much time had passed, but the End god was going through cycles of life and death in the blink of an eye now. He wasn’t even trying to escape anymore- just curling up in a corner and allowing death to claim him and life to take him back. “Someone trapped him here.”

“Not someone.” Dream looked pissed, his mask even looked angry. “This _had_ to have been Oceania.”

“But didn’t Nether say in the memory that End jumped off the edge of the world and never came back?” Tommy asked, body turned away from the breaking god in the corner. Techno and Dream had conveniently placed themselves in such a way that neither Tommy nor Tubbo could see the being. They couldn’t see him die and then come back, over and over again. Phil could, though. “He couldn’t of died down here.”

“Who knows how long he was in here for.” Techno glanced behind him at the god. End’s eyes were no longer the blazing purple they were before, now they were dull and grey. “This is a few minutes for us, but it could be _years_ for him.”

It clicked in his mind, and he knew what Techno was thinking. “You think he went insane?”

Techno went to answer, when the top of the box End was trapped in opened and Oceania was looking inside, a smug smile settled on her face. Suddenly, they were up where Oceania was, looking down on End. “Hope you learned your lesson, End.”

The god saw her face, and his eyes turned green.

Green?

Before Oceania could move away, End lunged, grabbing the goddess by her throat and picking her up. The goddess grabbed at his hands, choking. End growled, eyes a smoky green, and something was _very wrong_ here. _“How dare you-”_

“I-I wouldn’t, if I were y-you.” Oceania gulped, coughing. She was still grinning though, as if she knew she won. “That cage is god proof, and I can make more of them.”

“As if I would fall for that trap again!” End hissed, and his eyes were red now, as if they couldn’t decide on the right color. He tightened his hold on her throat. _“You’re dead.”_

“Yo-You might be safe.” She choked. “But Nether sure isn’t.” Immediately, End relaxed his hold, and Oceania laughed, gasping for air. “You think that was bad for you? Imagine how bad drowning over and over again would be for _him.”_

End glared, tightening his fist again. “You wouldn’t.”

“You know I would.” She laughed again. End’s face flickered with a few different emotions, before he let her go. Oceania laughed again, voice turning into cackles. "Ah, if I didn't know better I'd think you two were brothers. You'd do _anything_ for each other."

"Don't like the sound of that." Tommy muttered, shifting towards Phil. Tubbo grabbed Dream's hoodie sleeve, something Phil noticed he's been doing more and more often. Both admins didn't even seem to hear him, eyes locked on what was going on in front of them.

"Stay _away_ from him!" End hissed, and his eyes flashed purple for a second before turning blue. "This is just between you and me. Haven't I already suffered enough?"

"Aw, poor End." Oceania did a mock pout. "The god of victory, he has it so _hard._ You never knew the true meaning of misery before I showed you. _And I'm not done._ " The goddess stepped forward, her own eyes glowing. "I'm going to show you the _true_ meaning of misery."

Something flashed across End's face, and he backed off. "It was an accident." He protested. 

_"I loved him!"_ Oceania screeched, taking another step into End's space. _"And you got him_ **_killed!"_ **

Phil was starting to see why Oceania did all this. Revenge. Of course, killing wasn't really the right choice here, but the goddess didn't seem to be in the right mind space anyway.

"He was my friend too, Oceania." End sounded tired, like he's had this conversation before. "I didn't mean for him to fall- I would bring him back if I could. I'm not even sure what happened, he just turned into code and-"

_Turned into what?_

Before Phil could ask, Oceania had cut End off. _"If you cared you would've done more!"_ She yelled. "You say you know misery, but you've never lost someone that close to you before, have you?"

Phil knew a threat when he heard one. End apparently knew as well. Again, his eyes flashed purple, but when he spoke next he shivered, still soaked in water. _"Don't-"_

"How about we make a deal?" Oceania purred, and he saw Dream visibly tense. "Either I take his life, _painfully,_ or you take your own."

Phil was pulled out of the memory, and when he could finally see straight he realized that Nether was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you lose your boyfriend to a freak accident so you decide to torture and kill the person you crazily think is the sole reason for his death. Gods can't fully die from natural causes, they just come back, so basically End was trapped in a underwater box, drowning over and over and over again for an undisclosed amount of time. Nice one, Ocean. Also the changing of eye color just represents insanity. And good job Angst_Is_Fun for catching on and Meownonumous for guessing End's real cause of death.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, back in Zombie Land...

“Hey.” Wilbur walked up to George and Sapnap, looking as collected as he did when he was first blessed. George is happy he kept his suspicions to himself- it turned out to be nothing in the end. “I think something’s up with the bodies. A few of them seem to be waking up.”

He frowned, making his way to where the bodies were stored with the other two in tow. He passed by other blessed players as he went. They didn’t wave, and George didn’t wave either.

When they made it to the room storing the bodies, everything was calm. George didn’t have to hear the door closing behind them to know something was wrong. “I knew something was up with you, Wilbur.”

“You’re going against our goddess?” Sapnap’s voice was a lot softer, innocent, in a way. George felt betrayed, as if he didn’t feel like something was wrong as well.

“Guys, think for a second.” Wilbur’s posture and stance wasn’t something that a normal blessed should hold. Something was wrong with him. “What did Dream do to deserve being chased after?”

“He denied the blessing.” George said simply, and what was Wilbur’s point? There was something wrong with him.

The man in question scoffed. “If our _goddess_ was so fair and just, not accepting the blessing wouldn't mean we’d be chased like animals.”

Wilbur… has a point there.

"Does it matter though?" George protested, grasping for something. "If our goddess wants us to do something, we should trust her and do it."

Wilbur sighed, turning to Sapnap. "Sap, look at your body." He gestured to the _real_ Sapnap, lying there fast asleep on the bed. Sapnap twitched looking at it, rotting hands clenching. "That urge you feel? The want to go back? It's natural, because we're aren't supposed to be in these bodies! We were _forced_ into them!"

"That's-" George spoke up when Sapnap stayed silent. "That's not true."

"What do you remember from before the blessing, Sap?" Every time Wilbur called him 'Sap' he flinched, as if an unwanted memory emerged, and George wanted to make him back off just for that reason. "What happened?"

"There-" Sapnap looked so _confused_ and George glared at Wilbur. "It… it was raining?"

It was raining? No it wasn't. There was no rain-

_Heavy waves crashed into him, pulling him down deeper under deep to far he couldn't see couldn't breathe-_

"She tried to drown us!" Wilbur was ignoring George now, and Sapnap looked on the edge of a breakdown. George frowned, a wet growl starting up in the back of his throat. "Sap, you've gotta realize-"

George snapped, grabbing Wilbur and throwing him back. The arm he grabbed popped out of its socket, and Wilbur's head caved in as it hit the wall. 

"George-" Sapnap went to grab him, before pulling back, scared to touch him and break something. He looked small, for some reason. Was the blessing messing with him? "Stop, please-"

"Denial is a stage to acceptance, George." Wilbur stood up, as if nothing happened. "Come on, Sap, you know it's true."

Sapnap looked between George and Wilbur. "George-"

"We know something's wrong here." He agreed with Wilbur on that, he just didn't like how he was pushing Sapnap to agree with him. "But I dunno if this is it or not. It's your choice. But-" he turned to glare at Wilbur. "You _stay away_ from him."

For a second Wilbur looked guilty, and his eyes went soft. "I'd never hurt either of you, you know that."

Did he?

_He did._

Sapnap was looking at his body again, and George could feel the urge as well. The urge to get in his body and go back to how he was before. "I don't know."

"Don't you miss fire, Sap?" Wilbur asked, and that set him over the edge. Sapnap's dead face set into resolve, and he marched into the body room, going right up to his body. He paused, uncertain, before poking it.

He gasped, eyes widening, and George was suddenly worried. "Sapnap?"

He didn't seem to hear him. Sapnap studied his original face, his drowned face set into a curious look that he hasn't seen on him before. "Man I look cute." He poked his original face again before turning back to them. He jumped back, startled. "Ew, y'all are ugly!"

Wilbur grinned, but George was worried. Why was he acting that way? Why was he acting… normal?

The question he should be asking is, why was acting normal weird?

He looked at his own body, a bed away from Sapnap's. It called to him, reaching out in soothing whispers and grabbing hands. Hesitantly, he touched his body's hand.

Something inside his mind seemed to unlock.

_He suddenly remembered._

"I am an idiot." He whispered, and Wilbur laughed behind them. "Oh no, Dream-"

"They got away." The other man assured, and he didn't bother touching his own body. George guessed he had done it awhile ago. "They met up with the Nether god, last I saw. Tommy's with them now, too."

"How's Phil?" Sapnap asked, and Wilbur's full body flinch startled George.

"Okay… as far as I know." The man wilted, and neither of them brought it up again. 

"We have to help them." George said instead. "Maybe, if we can get the other server members down here-"

"We can kick start their memories too!" Sapnap finished for him. 

Wilbur smiled, and even though it looked horrid on his face George understood the sentiment. "Gather 'round boys." He grinned. "I have a plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They were all on the same side, but George is mega protective over Sapnap and he didn't like how Wilbur was pressuring him. Also, short chapters for George strikes again!


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's early in the morning but I'm posting it now cause it's not early in the morning in maybe asia right now!

When Tubbo woke up, it wasn't where he fell asleep at.

"What's going on?" Tommy groaned besides him. Tubbo looked around, surprised to find himself on a grassy hill in the middle of the night instead of in the nether.

What _was_ going on? Nether still hadn't come back after that last memory, so what was happening? He heard Phil start moving around across from him, and he saw Techno's mask pop up from the side of the hill. Dream was nowhere to be seen.

Tubbo went to answer when he saw someone and gasped.

It was Oceania.

The goddess didn't seem to notice them, even though they were out in the open. She was sitting in the grass, staring up at the night sky and waiting.

"This is a memory." Phil came to the same conclusion they did. "One of End's, since Dream isn't here."

"But how are we here?" Techno appeared from the side of the hill. "We were all sleeping and Nether wasn't with us."

Phil frowned, and Tubbo could see an idea form in his head. "Maybe it was End." He suggested. "Nether did say she could hear us. Maybe she did this, somehow."

Before anyone could retort, the goddess in question emerged from the treeline, stalking towards the ocean goddess. She looked the same age she did in present time.

"Took you long enough." Ocean sat up. "What do you want?"

End glared, crossing her arms. "I know what you did."

The environment around them seemed quiet, as if everyone but them knew what Oceania had done. The goddess herself seemed to be out of the loop. She arched an eyebrow. "May you please explain what you are accusing me of?"

"You killed the old end god."

The wind stopped, and the world seemed to hold its breath. Tubbo felt Tommy tense besides him, and he grabbed his friend's hand, for his comfort just as much as for Tommy.

"Oh, dear." Oceania laughed. "I thought Nether would have told you. Dear old End _killed himself,_ sweetie. Jumped off into the void."

"Cut the crap." End snapped. "I know what happened, don't act like I'm an idiot. I can see my precessor's memories, I know what happened on that day. I know what happened the day _before_ that, too." End narrowed her eyes. "I know what happened for that entire _decade."_

Tubbo blinked. Did that mean that the old end was trapped dying… _for ten years?_ How... how did no one _look_ for him? Could gods bend time around them? Was it ten years for him, but ten minutes for everyone else? What happened?

"And I don't just know about that, Ocean." End spat. "I know about everything. _You_ were the one that had Desert bless that rouge admin, _you_ were the one who sent him after my admin! _You_ were the reason why that server demon grew so strong so fast. You were trying to distract me, weren’t you? Trying to take my attention away from finding out _what you did.”_

She… the demon wasn’t normal? It did seem to grow faster than normal demons, but Tubbo thought almost nothing of it. And the admin? No way...

Oceania scoffed. “How dare you assume I had _anything_ to do with either of those events! They had nothing to do with you either- get off that high horse!”

“No, Oceania, you can’t turn this back on me, because I know _why_ you did it, too. I know about _him._ " This was the first time Oceania's face changed to something besides indifference. Rage. "You were so lost in your grief that you didn't even realize that that was the first case of the respawn glitch. You _still_ haven't realized that."

Oceania stood up, posture defensive. "Why are you bringing this up, End?" She asked. "The past is in the past." Tubbo thinks that's bullshit, because torture and murder is _still_ torture and murder, no matter when you did it.

"Because you don't realize the absolute _hell_ you've created due to your lust for vengeance." End barked. "You know the end is a key part in the respawn cycle, right? That cycle and the game cycle are one in the same. Getting rid of the last part of the game cycle fucked up the respawn cycle as well. Killing the old End is the _reason why_ the respawn glitch can't be fixed!"

Ocean's face had gone pale, as if she didn't believe it. "Stop lying." She snapped. "End didn't work on the respawn cycle at all, there's no reason for his death to glitch it."

"I just said that that cycle and the game cycle are the same! They're connected!" End retorted. "Messing with one broke the other one, and since End is dead, it can _never_ be fixed. You want to know the reason why _he_ never respawned? When he fell off, End’s shock threw the entire system into chaos. It even reached the respawn cycle- and you know how fragile that thing is! The barest nudge can set it off. When you killed End that day, not only did you kill hundreds of admins, but you also created the worst glitch we've ever seen."

Silence engulfed the area.

Oceania sighed, cutting through the quiet. "You know, before he left, the old End wrote a note to Nether. Made me promise to give it to him."

"I'm guessing you didn't." End crossed her arms, eyes hard.

"Oh I did." Ocean laughed. "After I read it, of course. It was pretty normal, an apology and all that, but at the end he brought you up. He said, 'if I’m reborn, please take care of the new me.' it wasn't much, but Nether seemed to take it to heart. Jungle found you, but once Nether arrived he never left your side." She tilted her head with a half smile. "I think it was because he was slowly losing all hope. Having you to take care of gave him purpose. You helped him heal, you know?"

The speech was nice, but Tubbo was wary. End was too, as she had taken a defensive stance. "Touching story." She hissed. "But it means nothing."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong." Oceania laughed. "See, it was just making me wonder. You pulled him back from the edge, but will your death throw him back over?"

She moved, faster than Tubbo could keep up with. End, though, was another god, and jumped back. She couldn't completely avoid the attack though, and a cut appeared across her wrist, glowing.

End flicked her wrist, glaring at Oceania. When nothing happened, she froze in surprise. "What?!"

Ocean smiled. "Little trick I learned." She held up her own bare wrist. "Pretty good at limiting powers, I'd say."

"Oh no." They heard Tommy whisper, and they squeezed his hand to show that they were still here, and that these were _just_ memories.

End glared at her, holding her bleeding wrist. They locked eyes and kept the stare for a whole minute, before End turned around and darted away, faster than they could follow. Oceania cackled and started to chase.

Tubbo's gut flipped, and they were back in the nether.

The other god was back, face set and eyes _blazing_ in anger. He saw the memory, too. "That _bitch…"_

"How'd she do that?" Tommy spoke up. "She cut her wrist and then suddenly End couldn't use her powers. I thought gods were all powerful."

"We are." He leveled them all a look, as if daring them to test him. "There shouldn't be anyway for that to be possible. Oceania must've found something that negates it."

That's what they needed, then. "If we can find that." Dream started. "Then maybe we can trap Oceania too. Here, in the nether, where her powers are limited."

"That could work." Techno joined in. "But how do we figure out what negates their powers? I doubt she'll tell us if we ask."

That's when something clicked in Tubbo's mind.

"Oh!" He exclaimed. "What about the drowning box?"

The room went quiet from the mention of it, but then Phil shot up, understanding in his eyes. "If the trick deals with runes or code, there might be traces of whatever did it still on the box!"

"And it still probably works." Nether frowned. "I'm not going near it to find out."

Tubbo would've said something to the god if he hadn't seen how shaken this entire ordeal was for him. He had lost his closest friend and was about to lose another. Tubbo decided to go easy on him. "Someone has to stay here and protect End, anyway. We can go."

His friends, though, didn't feel the same way he did. "Wait." Dream said. "He's the _god_ here, why wouldn't he go? Besides, we might not be able to read the runes anyway."

"Admins can." Nether assured. "Also, water and nether don't mix, remember? I can handle a little bit, but repeatedly drowning in a place where I don't have my powers? That could kill me, and my admins would go with me."

Tubbo saw Techno shift uneasily. Tubbo himself was surprised. Gods weren't as powerful as he thought. Or maybe this thing was just _really_ dangerous. "We don't know where the box is."

"It's by a beach somewhere, next to a desert." Tommy spoke up, recalling the memory. "Hey, since you're sitting this one out, you gotta map?"

Nether shot him a look before forming a map of the overworld in his hand and enlarging it, throwing it up on the wall. "Cross out any areas near forests and jungles, as well as anywhere close to lava or the stronghold." He understood his thinking- Oceania wouldn't have had the god near anywhere that some other god could find him.

Tubbo stepped forward, keeping that in mind as he looked around. From what he remembered about the memory, the box was half buried in the ground right next to the ocean. It was in a gulf, and everywhere around it was desert. He saw an ocean monument in the distance as well. "There." He pointed.

"Also, I have a question about that." Tommy's voice had turned rude as he turned to Nether. "End said the old End was trapped for _10 years._ How is it that you didn't go looking for him?!"

Tommy's voice was hard and scathing and Tubbo thinks he's forgetting that he's talking to _a god._ The room goes quiet as Nether stares at his friend. The next time he speaks, his voice is _booming._ **_"How dare you think I let my friend suffer for ten years without-"_ **

He had been moving forward, hair catching on fire and horns enlarged. Black wither magic danced on his fingertips. Tommy backed away, fear etched in his face. Before Nether could come any closer, Techno had stepped in front of him, holding his admin weapon in his hands. A crossbow again. "Back off." He growled, as if he _wasn't_ going against his own god here. "That's not what he meant."

It _totally is_ what he meant, and Tubbo thinks it's a good question, but that didn't stop him from smacking his friend when he got close, because _my gods, that was rude._ "Ow!"

Nether glared at Techno, and the admin's arms wavered, but then Dream was there, axe out and ready and looking a lot more steady. "It was a terrible question to ask." He says, trying to de-escalate the situation. "But I am curious now."

Nether stared at both of them, before sighing. "Gods are capable of distorting time. I had been hanging out with End before that happened, and he went home as usual. He was fine, normal. The next day when I saw him he was jumping off into the void."

The god's voice was so _old_ and tired that Tubbo hit his friend upside the head again, because he didn't deserve having to remember that.

Before anyone could say anything though, he looked at where Tubbo pointed on the map. "I can set a portal there and here. When you're done, have Techno call me."

Before anyone could speak up Nether had turned away from them and the ground was opening up under them.

Tubbo fell, vertigo flipping him until he was suddenly falling horizontally, crashing into the sand. He sat up, spitting out sand and looking around.

They were on a beach, bordering the _biggest_ ocean Tubbo's ever seen. Pods of dolphins swam in the water, catching fish and bumping against sea turtles. There was some random _pink_ thing in the water too, and Tubbo had a feeling it was a part of the new update.

He stood up, foot hitting something hard buried in the sand. He frowned, crouching down and rubbing at the thing with his hands. The sand moved to reveal sandstone engraved with enchanted words.

Well, that was easy.

"Found it!" He called, and the others, who were still getting their bearings, looked over. Tommy stood up, stumbling over. Halfway through he lost his footing and started falling into the water below.

Phil caught him. "Let's not." He pulled the younger man back. "I'm not sure how gods work, but we should stay out of the ocean, in case she can sense us."

They started working on excavating the area, staying away from the side facing the ocean. The box has a quiet humming going on, similar to enchanted weapons.

"These runes are gibberish." Dream said after a few minutes of work. "I can read them, but they don't _mean_ anything."

"Maybe there's more on the inside that completes the message." Tubbo suggested, before wincing. That meant that someone would have to go inside.

No one likes that idea.

"I'll go check." Dream made his way to the top, where the hole they saw End jump out of was still there. The box was empty at the moment, but Tubbo didn't trust it.

"Yeah- no." Techno grabbed his arm and pulled him back, stepping up to the box. "It's coded in for end gods, what's to say it won't start filling up for you?" They stared at each other for a second, neither of them bringing it up but both of them thinking it.

Dream was scared of water.

Ever since the dreamon appeared he was more wary around water in general. Tubbo knows he has nightmares about drowning, because whenever he does he checks on Tubbo to make sure he didn't have the same nightmares. Tubbo had told Techno about it, just because he was the other admin and if he could do water related problems so that Dream didn't have to, who did it hurt to tell?

"Who's to say it isn't coded for Nether too?" Dream snorted. "Not to mention your disdain for water as well."

"I'll be fine." Techno tapped his helmet, standing over the hole. "OP helmet, remember?" He looked at the others. "Make sure he doesn't follow me in."

With that, Techno disappeared down the hole. Tubbo lit a torch and threw it down there for him. Luckily, the box wasn't that big, so they could all still see him.

"Do you see any runes?" Tommy asked, voice cracking in what Tubbo could only assume was worry.

"Yeah." Techno called back. "They match with the ones outside."

Dream deflated. "So it's all gibberish in there too?"

"No." Techno replied, and he perked up. "It completed the ones outside. It's talking about a game-"

The box closed on him, muffling his words. They all froze.

"Uh, hello?" Tubbo relaxed slightly at the sound of the admin's voice. "I'm guessing you didn't do that?"

"You good in there, Techno?" Phil asked, worried.

"Yeah, fine." Was the reply. "Just trapped in a box that made a god go insane."

"We'll get you out." Tommy promised, and Tubbo thought he looked one second away from fully panicking. He took out his pickaxe and slammed it into the sandstone. Nothing happened.

"Take your time." Techno sounded chill, but he always did. "These runes- Dream, do the outside runes talk about the blocks that they're on?"

Dream froze in his process of trying to break the sandstone, turning to the closest engraving. "Yeah." He said. "They translate to 'and be it true for the engraved site.'"

"It matches up with the ones in here." Techno replied. "The enchanted in here is a half done command. It's changing the gamemode of the object, but the object isn't specified in here."

"But it is out here." Dream caught on to what he was explaining, turning to the others. "The runes are changing the gamemode of the blocks the engraving is on."

Tommy narrowed his eyes. "How does that trap a god, though?"

"Hey Techno?" Dream called. "What mode are these blocks on?"

"Adventure."

Dream nodded. "That's why we can't break them." He explained. "You can't break _anything_ in adventure mode, but I doubt you could put a god into adventure mode. So instead she put the blocks in adventure mode, making them unbreakable. And by putting some of the engraving out here, she can take them in and out of the mode to move them or seal the box."

"Aren't you smart? I can see why End chose you."

Oh no.

Tubbo turned to the voice at the same time he heard water rush into the sealed box. He barely caught a glimpse of Oceania before he turned back to the box. "Techno-!"

There was no answer. After a silent second, he heard a soft thump against the side of the box. The box was flooding, he couldn't speak without losing air.

"Open the box!" Dream commanded, admin axe out again. Tubbo shifted until he was behind him- not for protection, but for secrecy. He sat on the box, hand over one of the engravings. He started picking at it with his nail, hoping that he could chip it.

"The fact that you know about this place tells me that you've already seen End's memories." Oceania ignored Dream. "Which means you are no longer of any use to me."

Tubbo, worried, dug into the engraving of the box. An enchanted word chipped off, and the block stopped humming under his hand. He took out his pickaxe and slammed it into the block, breaking it instantly.

The wind picked up, and he was pushed away from the hole by an invisible force. He barely grabbed a hold of the box in time, and turned to see the same force throwing his friends every which way.

That force pushed Dream back. Oceania laughed, appearing right next to the admin. She grinned, whispering something to him before a tendril of water emerged from the box, grabbing Dream's ankle and pulling him down into the box with it. The second he was out of sight the box resealed itself.

Tubbo cursed. "No!"

Tommy appeared by his side, helping him up. Phil was next to them, listening inside the box for any type of sound whatsoever. Tubbo knew they both had enchantments to help them breathe, but how long did they last?

"Now that they're gone." Oceania smiled at them. He could hear harsh, frantic banging from inside the box. "Would you like to have my blessing?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admins in a box, what will they do?


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving!

Tommy is scared.

Not for himself, no. He can handle himself, he can handle whatever _blessing_ this goddess wanted to hand out. No, it was the admins of their group that worried him. He knew how much both of them despised water- he needed to get them out, _fast._

So he did what he's best at. Being loud. "WHAT BLESSING ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT YOU BITCH IM NOT DOING ANYTHING UNTIL YOU DRAIN THE WATER FROM THAT BOX HOW FUCKING DARE YOU YOU THINK YOU'RE ALL THAT BUT REALLY YOU'RE SMALL AND JEALOUS AND YOU HAVE NO FRIENDS UNLIKE ME-"

Something wet wrapped around his neck and squeezed, cutting off his airways and pulling him into the sky. He choked, grabbing at the _water_ circling his neck. "Bitch…" he wheezed, hoping that either Tubbo or Phil figured out that he was _distracting_ this cunt and they needed to get Dream and Techno out while he did that.

Oceania looked unimpressed. She waved her hand, and Tommy was pulled closer. “You’re quite the annoying one.” She hummed. “Are you _sure_ Nether hasn’t blessed you?”

“I'M TOO COOL FOR ALL OF YOU!” He screamed before the water tightened and he coughed, choking. “GO AWAY!”

“Not until I tie up my loose ends.” Oceania didn’t take her eyes off him, and Tommy really hoped one of the other two were getting the admins out of that god forsaken box. “I’d love to bless all five of you- but you can’t bless an admin that isn’t yours.”

_“Go to hell-”_

“You really do have a mouth on you.” Oceania clicked her fingers, and a drowned emerged from the water. It ambled up to her, uncaring of the sun. She glanced at it, and in front of his eyes it changed, growing and morphing until it looked like _him._ “That’ll have to go.”

A finger touched his forehead, and it felt like something was _pulling_ him out of his body. It wasn’t like Nether putting them in End’s memories, this felt like claws grabbing at his mind and yanking it around, mushing his brain in the process.

He almost fell unconscious just from that.

But then, as the last parts of his mind clung to his body, he felt the body Oceania was trying to put him in.

It was _dead_ and _gross_ and **_mute!_**

There are many things TommyInnit can deal with. Being mute was not one of them.

As if just realizing the situation, his body went into overdrive, kicking and flailing and screaming even though his mind was in a weird limbo of being half in and half out of his body. Even though he couldn’t really see anything, he could feel Oceania’s confusion. She paused, and Tommy took a mental breath. Then, he _screamed._

He was never one to hold back on a scream. This one was completely mental as well, but he knew it would’ve blown some eardrums if he actually had the lung capacity to pull it off. The claws around his mind popped off, and he slammed back into his body so hard that he fell through the water holding him, hitting the ground with a thump. Someone was pulling him up immediately, and he blinked, looking around dazedly.

Oceania had hands clapped over her ears, and Tommy knew she heard him. Phil was the one helping him up, and Tubbo was crouched out of sight behind the box, digging at something with a stick. He could still heading banging from the inside, but it was softer now, scattered in its rhythm.

They were running out of time.

“You brat!” The goddess hissed, and Tommy glared. Except that he didn’t glare. His face stayed the same.

The drowned behind the goddess glared, though.

Phil and Tommy saw it at the same time. They glanced at each other. “Tommy?”

“I’m here.” Tommy whispered, and _wow_ did his throat hurt. He glanced at the drowned again, but it didn’t move. He ignored it, looking at the goddess. “Not even a god can hold down TommyInnit!” He hoped his voice sounded more confident than he felt. “Whatcha gonna do now, bitch?!”

He heard a block break behind him, heard water rushing quietly out of the box. There was ragged gasping, harsh coughing. He hoped Oceania couldn’t hear. 

“If you don’t want to be blessed-” Oceania held out a hand, and a long thin sword formed. “You’ll just have to die.”

Tommy wanted to take out his own sword and fight. He wanted to jump on the goddess and cut through her. He wanted to kill her.

But he didn’t move.

The goddess yelled, falling back. The drowned behind her had grabbed Oceania’s hair and was using it to pull her down. Surprised, she fell back, and the drowned attacked, broken fingers clawing at her throat and teeth going for her arm.

A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he jumped, spinning. Techno stood behind him, drenched in water and a little purple, but otherwise fine. Behind him was Dream and Tubbo. Dream was laying on the ground, coughing and shivering. He wasn’t in there for as long as Techno, and Tommy had a feeling it wasn’t because he had run out of oxygen. “Are you okay?”

Tommy should be asking Techno that. The admin looked calm, but Tommy can read Techno well enough to know he was shaken. He just nodded. “M’fine.”

“Good.” Techno glared at the goddess, who finally figured out what had happened. She growled, grabbing the drown. 

It vanished as soon as she touched it. Tommy felt a part of him return that he didn't even know had left. “You-”

The floor turned into a familiar portal, and Tommy braced himself, throwing Oceania a bird before falling through. Nether took one look at Techno and Dream and winced, waving a hand. They were instantly dried. “She found out?”

“How could you tell?” Techno asked, before coughing up water. Nether waved his hand again, and suddenly Techno was dry coughing. He paused, clearing his throat. “We got what we needed, though.”

“The runes were a-actually gamemode changes.” Dream added in, hands clutching his arms in a makeshift hug, and Nether’s eyebrows shot into his eyes. “She p-put the blocks into adventure mode so that the old End couldn’t b-break them.”

“Ah.” Nether looked like he was remembering something. “I forgot about that. Your mask has those engravings.” He gestured to Techno. “That’s why it’s never broken.”

The room paused in joint confusion. “Uh.” The admin in question started. “What? How do you-?”

“I made that mask for you.” Nether shrugged. “The day I blessed you. Your dad saw me and asked for a mask, since he knew admins usually wore one.” For a second, he looked sheepish. “Gods aren’t usually supposed to be _seen_ while blessing someone, so I gave it to him so he’d swear secrecy.”

Techno’s been wearing the mask for a _long_ time, then. He’s told Tommy that he never really knew his dad, so it was weird that his father would demand a mask for the child he didn’t really care about. Well, he did grow up on an anarchy server, right? Maybe his dad actually died.

Another question for another time, he guessed.

“Adventure mode doesn’t explain how she took away End’s powers, though.” Tommy added in, because he’s sure they had forgotten he was there and they can’t forget that. “Couldn’t End just teleport out?”

“He should, but it’s important to know that the old End and new End don’t have the same powers.” Nether explains. “For one, the old End didn’t have wings.”

“Wish we could ask him.” Tommy muttered, and Tubbo shot him a look that said ‘shut up.’ “What?”

“Maybe-” Phil started, ignoring Tommy. “Maybe if you put those runes on a weapon and use that, it can hurt them.”

“Eh.” Nether frowned. “I doubt it. See, gods get hurt pretty often. Desert’s always breaking something and Jungle is super clumsy. If admins felt all the injuries gods usually get, you’d always be in pain. You guys only feel the dangerous injuries- wounds we get from other gods. Oceania wouldn’t need to enchant something to do that, she’d just need to be the one holding the weapon.”

“Maybe the engravings put gods into adventure mode?” Tubbo suggested. “Or it allows nongods to wound gods?”

Tommy perked up. “Can we test it out?”

They all stared at him like he was an idiot. Then Nether laughed. “Sure, why not.”

Techno sputtered. “Wait a second-”

“Nope.” Nether flicked his wrist, and suddenly Techno’s admin weapon, a sword, was twirling in his hand. He waved a hand over it, and white engravings appeared on the blade. Tommy suddenly realized that this was a bad idea. He tossed the blade to Dream, who caught it and tensed, as if expecting it to burn him.

It didn’t.

“Come on, don’t be shy.” Nether clicked his fingers and his chestplate was suddenly gone. He rolled up his undershirt to show a meaty part of his arm. He glanced at Techno. “Nothing too big, though.”

Dream looked at the other admin, waiting for him to reluctantly nod before stepping towards the god. In one clean swipe, he slit the god’s skin, creating a medium size cut across his arm. Nether didn’t react, but Techno hissed in pain, clutching his own arm. Tommy could see the cut appear on his arm, framed by the same blackness that Phil had said was around Dream’s chest when his wound appeared.

“Well.” Techno flexed his arm, fingers twitching. “I hope your other admins aren’t doing anything important right now.”

That brought up another problem, didn’t it?

“So we got this weapon, right?” Tommy started. “But if it hurts admins as well, then we can’t use it on Oceania, can we?”

No one spoke up. The answer is yes, they could, but if they did they’d be hurting hundreds of admins. And if they killed her, they’d be killing hundreds of admins and crashing hundreds of servers, killing thousands of people in the process.

“We can’t use this.” Dream decided, handing the blade back to Techno. His sudden stutter seemed to be getting better, as if he was cold and was finally warming back up. “We’ll just have to trap her. Hopefully being in the nether will d-dampen her powers enough by itself.”

Meaning, they couldn’t use the weapon unless Oceania was too difficult to trap. They might not get a choice in the matter, here.

“We have to lure her in here, though.” Phil spoke up. “Which she seems pretty against. How are we going to do that?”

As if waiting for the perfect time, the end goddess shot up on her altar, gasping and opening glowing purple eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream fainted, who will you send out next?  
> Tubbo  
> >Tommy  
> Phil  
>  ~~Techno~~  
>  ~~Dream~~  
>  Oceania uses Mind Swap!  
> It's not very effective...  
> Tommy uses Scream!  
> It's super effective!  
> Critical hit!  
> You managed to run away.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter doesn’t have a main POV, it switches a bit, so be prepared!

Wilbur didn’t know when his plan could come into fruition, he just knew he would have to be ready. When Oceania came back onto the server, everything was exactly how she left it, and she was none the wiser.

A hand crashed against the side of his face, snapping his vertebrae and making his head turn 90 degrees. It didn’t hurt -nothing ever hurt anymore- so he just fixed his head and looked at the ground. “Sorry, my goddess.”

Oceania glared, retracting her hand. “I expected better from you.” She murmured, and Wilbur clenched his jaw. “If you cannot kill that healer by the end of tomorrow, forget it and just go on with the rest of your plan.”

Wilbur would be scared if he didn’t have control over his body. Luckily he did, and he’d be ignoring _that_ particular order. He’s disappointed in how far he went under the goddess’ control, he almost killed-

Don’t think about it.

“Of course, my goddess.” He bowed his head, waiting for Oceania to make some gesture that he could leave.

Before she could, the main nether portal started to flare, signalling someone coming through. Oceania grinned. “Finally. Come.”

Wilbur obeyed, walking with her to the nether portal. Most of the other people on the server were already there, ready. He caught George’s eye and shook his head.

Not yet.

A shadow appeared in the portal, and Dream hopped out, looking like he just came back from a stroll in the plains. His mask covered everything but his dopey grin. “Hey.”

This… this… Wilbur hadn’t planned for this. He caught Sapnap’s eye, since he couldn’t see George from where he stood, and frowned. The other man frowned back, before looking at George and shaking his head. He hoped they understood what that meant.

Wilbur needed a new plan.

The portal flared again, and the shadow was massive. He was surprised to see the End goddess come out, wings flaring out behind her. Her smile was sharp. “Oceania.”

“Hello End. Admin.” Oceania’s face was smug, and she had summoned a weapon, a trident. “So nice of you to come to us. What, is Nether too afraid to fight me?”

“He is not involved in this.” End stated, smile still sharp and eyes glittering with a feral type of hunger. 

Oceania laughed. “You didn’t tell him anything?” She asked. “I highly doubt it.”

“He wasn’t involved in any of this, so I didn’t feel the need to tell him.” End explained, as if talking to a little kid, and Oceania glared. “He only helped because you were threatening his admin. You really should stop doing that- you’re getting more and more enemies, Ocean.”

“It’s not my fault you keep digging up the past, End.” She retorted. “None of this would've happen if you just left it alone.”

“It could never be left alone.” End shook her head. “You caused the respawn glitch, Oceania, we can’t leave it alone.”

She… _she what?_

“Leave these mortals alone, Oceania.” End spoke again. “Let’s talk civilly, for once.” She turned back towards the portal.

The goddess laughed. “You think I’m going to follow you into the nether?” She asked. “How stupid do you think I am?”

Wilbur glanced at Dream, and while the admin’s face was covered it was obvious that he was more tense than he was before. They wanted Oceania to go through the portal, they probably needed her to. She wasn’t taking the bait though. He caught Sapnap’s eye, hoping to convey the fact that they might need to give their _goddess_ a little helping hand. He nodded, but Wilbur didn’t know if he got it.

“We have to get back to our world somehow.” End shrugged. “I'm not taking your way, and you aren’t taking mine, so I thought neutral ground would be better.”

“I’d rather ask Jungle.” Oceania snapped. “And Jungle’s Jungle!”

Dream’s hands were covered by his shield, but Wilbur knew him well enough to know he was doing something in the server. He was proven right when he got a whisper from the admin moments later.

_Dream: Wilbur, snap out of it_

_Dream: Please_

_Dream: We need to get her into the Nether_

Wilbur’s eyes shifted down to look at the messages, and when he looked up Dream was looking at him. He let the smallest smile grace his face, trying to show that he understood.

There's his new plan, then.

“I’ll only be so quiet with what I know, Oceania.” End murmured, a sickly sweet smile on her face. Her eyes were flaring purple. “I’ll have to tell someone eventually. Desert and the old End use to be close, I know. Almost as close as him and Nether. I wonder how he’ll feel about what you did. Not to mention Jungle, they loved the old End. Anyway-” She turned around, facing the portal. “-you’ll know where to find me. Come on Dream.”

Dream looked one more time at Wilbur, and followed his god. Oceania growled as they disappeared, stomping up to the portal like she was about to follow them through. She stopped inches away from it, glaring like she could see inside. She was so close to walking in, he had to get her to go in.

He _could_ push her. Maybe...

With her no longer blocking his view of George, he could see Sapnap whispering to him in a low tone. Did they know what he needed to do?

Well, they’ll understand after this.

He ran forward, using his entire body to knock into her. She turned with just enough time to prepare, and barely stopped him from pushing her through the portal. “What-!”

Before she could finish, George and Sapnap were suddenly there, and with their combined strength (and the element of surprise) they pushed her through the portal, falling in with her.

  
  


End appeared back through the portal first, Dream following close behind. Techno frowned when Oceania didn't follow. “She didn’t take the bait?”

“It doesn’t matter.” End said. “She knows she has a time limit, she’ll have to meet me eventually.”

“I actually don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Dream cut in, smiling. “I think Wilbur broke her control over him.”

Techno blinked, a bubble of worry he had been holding onto slowly deflating inside of him. “Really?” Phil asked.

“Yeah. I whispered to him, and he didn’t rat me out. He also looked a lot more… level headed.” Dream answered. “He knows we want her in the nether, he might be able to-”

As if on cue, the portal flared again, and four bodies tumbled through. The goddess was pinned under the zombified version of three of their friends. Almost immediately she threw them off, spinning back to the portal. Before she could go through, though, Nether snapped his fingers and the portal shattered. “Traitors!” She spat.

“You made me try to kill Phil!” Wilbur yelled back, shifting away from a plume of fire causing him to melt. George and Sapnap were there too, which Techno wasn’t expecting. “You deserve to rot in hell!”

Said man started making his way towards Wilbur, and Techno followed, still slightly wary. Phil didn’t seem to care, pulling Wilbur into a hug the moment he reached him. The younger started blabbering apologies, and while Techno thought it was heartwarming and he was kind of tempted to join, there was still the elephant in the room. “Guys? Killer goddess, 9 o’clock.”

Angry goddess, more like it. She rose, summoning a glowing trident. Her face was twisted in an almost feral rage. “What was that about Nether not helping you?”

Well, she used the advance and ancient technique of lying, Oceania. Techno thought that was pretty obvious.

“You’re angry with _me_ for lying?” End retorted, and Nether’s face was colder than he'd ever seen it. The god waved a hand, and netherrack started falling from the ceiling. They were all engraved with the runes Techno had found on the box.

That was their plan. End and Nether couldn’t actually fight Oceania, because it would risk killing her admins. Oceania, though, wouldn’t be worried about attacking either of them- she’d probably go for them first. Not to mention if she got either of them, then Techno or Dream would be out immediately. That’s why getting her into the nether, where she was cut off from most of her powers, was important. It gave the mortals of the group a chance to fight her off if need be. If they could trap her, then it would be over.

The blocks formed a box around her, but before the last block could settle she got her trident in between. With the box incomplete, she easily slipped out, face rageful. Techno wasn’t too worried yet- they had a lot of extra- they expected that to happen. It just meant they had to fight now, to tire her down so she wouldn’t keep getting out.

And to tire her out, they’d have to use the admin weapons.

He stepped away from Wilbur, Phil, and- when’d Tommy get over here? Nevermind, not important. He summoned the enchanted blade, pointing it at the goddess. “I’ve always wanted to fight a god.”

Oceania turned to him, laughing. “You might have been one of the ones I wanted, Technoblade.” She said. “But that doesn’t mean you’re strong enough to beat me.”

“We’re about to find out, aren’t we?”

Techno moved forward, and _damn,_ when’d he get so fast? He knew Nether had, like, _mega_ blessed him to better even the playing field, but wow, that was a lot. He collided with the goddess, who raised her trident to block him. The fun thing about the trident is that most of its a handle, and only the ends were dangerous. That meant that he could grab her weapon at any time.

Which is what he did.

He reached out and grabbed it behind the fork, using his weight to pull it down and out of the way of his blade. Oceania dropped back, face furious, stabbing at him. He raised his blade and caught the trident in between it's prongs. The three sharp edges stopped an inch or so away from his face, and he let out a breath of relief before ducking under the attack and swiping at her ankles.

He managed to scrape against her achilles tendon. 

Oceania paused, jumping back in confusion. She looked at her ankle, before realization showed on her face. “You didn’t…” She murmured, before snapping her head back and laughing. “You’re trying to kill me? You’re okay with the blood of hundreds of admins on your hands? The death of dozens of servers, Techno?”

Was he? He didn’t want to answer because if it meant she’d leave them alone then _yes, yes he was._ Before he could answer Dream was suddenly behind her, sinking his axe into the goddess’ off hand. She screamed in surprise, because they had enchanted his axe as well. For a second, Techno felt bad for her admins. It hurt, feeling your god’s pain, but right now his brain was too far into fight mode to really care too much.

“Hey, come on.” He said instead to Dream. “I could’ve taken her.”

“Now’s not the time for an ego, Techno.” Dream’s voice was joking as he shifted towards him, but he could hear the truth lining his words. “Besides, we so rarely fight together.”

“Lets just forget about MCC, I guess.” Techno joked. “And that battle by the tower. Oh, also the admin-”

Dream punched his shoulder. “Shut up.”

“Really fun talk and all.” George cut in, and he, Sapnap, and Wilbur all stood together now, as far away from any fires as they could get. “But she’s getting back up.”

Nether had tried to block her in again. The two gods stood near Tubbo and the others, as if acting as a protective wall. He appreciated it, especially because he did actually forget what he was just doing. Oceania again blocked the process, getting out before it closed completely. Before she could attack, an arrow went through her throat. She paused, surprised.

“I am SUCH a good shot, Tubbo!” Tommy had grabbed a bow from somewhere, and while the goddess just pulled the arrow out, wound closing immediately, Techno was still proud of his aim. “I’ll get her eye next!”

This was also part of the plan- giving her to many targets so that she couldn’t focus on any one person. If the others distracted her, and Techno and Dream kept nicking her with their weapons, then at some point Nether would be able to trap her. Techno thought it was going well, so far. Compared to the admin, he was a lot more calm now.

He debated pulling out the admin crossbow and taking a few potshots, but the damage it would cause Ocean’s admins far outweighed the pros of seeing the colorful fireworks. His sword was more useful here.

He had a thought. “Got any lava on you, Dream?”

The other admin smirked. “You distract?”

“Get her hair.”

Techno darted forward, and Oceania blocked him easily, pushing him back. The goddess summoned her own sword, putting her trident in her off hand. Techno didn’t like the look of it, but went forward anyway. Their swords came together in a shower of sparks, but he had to jump back immediately to avoid getting impaled by her trident. As he jumped back, she whirled around and kicked Dream, who had been sneaking up on her, in the chest. His lava bucket flew out of his hands, landing next to her instead of on her.

She laughed, tilting her head to the side and avoiding an arrow aimed at her head. “You’ll have to try harder then that.” She caught End’s eye. “You’re letting your admin fight for you? Pathetic.”

They were fighting instead of the gods because even though they had weapons that could kill, they were less likely to land a killing blow. Techno might be faster and stronger than usual, but he wasn’t a _god._ If it was Oceania and Nether the blows would all be much more deadly. Besides, if Techno gets hurt it doesn’t affect other admins. It’s not the same for the gods.

A sword was suddenly coming at him, and he ducked under. His legs were swept, and he rolled, jabbing up with a fist that got the goddess in the stomach. While it barely did anything, the god did stumble back a bit.

Something entered his shoulder, a trident prong if he had to guess. Nether’s blessing made him numb to pain, but boy that was going to hurt when it wore off. Oceania tore the trident out and Techno went with it, rushing forward to cut through her thigh.

She fell down, and Techno jumped back. Netherrack started to fall again, and this time it looked as if she was actually trapped.

On the last block, though, she blocked the process. Techno sighed, meeting Dream’s masked eyes.

Here they go again.

  
  


Dream _hated_ this.

He despised it, with every fiber of his being. Each cut he made he knew hurt hundreds of people. He was the only one here who actually knew what admins did in their day to day lives. Small server admins are usually just like other players, but big server admins are always dealing with problems- trying to fix things. They were helping people or destroying glitches or in the server code. What if one of the big server admins was blessed by Oceania, and while they were doing their job they got these wounds? What if it’s too much, and an admin dies?

What if the admin is someone like Hypixel?

He doubted that admin in particular was blessed by the Ocean, but it was still a possibility. Hypixel was always doing stuff to help out his server, if he was affected by this, if, gods forbid, he fell, he’d be taking one of if not _the biggest_ server down with him. Dream didn’t even know if he had co-admins to help him, or if he took care of the server by himself with operators. If it’s latter, then no other admin would be able to take his place- the amount of power it would take to hold a server of that size would be too much.

He sincerely hoped that none of Oceania’s admins owned large servers, but he knew a few different admins that seemed to crave destruction and misery. He knew a few that had servers as well. A couple of them had big servers too. He hoped he was just overthinking it, but he knew the truth.

The truth was they were playing with fire here.

And they were going to get burned.

  
  


Tommy felt useless.

He hated feeling useless.

The goddess kept blocking or dodging his, Tubbo’s, and Phil’s arrows, and while it didn’t really matter he at least felt helpful when he got her in the throat earlier. He felt like he was distracting her, keeping her from hurting his friends.

The goddess grabbed Phil’s next arrow and stabbed it towards Dream. At the last second Sapnap pushed him out of the way. It tore through the drowned’s shoulder, but he didn’t even seem to notice. Wilbur and George took that second to jump on the goddess, trying to pin her down for Nether to try again with the trap. Before he could start, though, the goddess threw them all. Wilbur hit the wall hard, most likely breaking his spine, and George slammed into Sapnap, both of them tumbling away. Tommy winced, drawing back his bow once more. The arrow sunk into Oceania’s gut, and she growled, grabbing it and throwing it back at them.

End held out a hand, catching the arrow in between two fingers. It crumbled into dust shortly after. “This isn’t working.” She murmured.

“If worse comes to worse, we’ll leave and trap her in this dimension.” Nether replied just as low. “If we destroy all the portals, it’ll take her a few years to find a way out.”

There was a burst of harsh wind, throwing everyone, even the gods, around. Oceania’s eyes were glowing harshly, and while End said she could do that she said the goddess would only do it in an emergency situation, since her powers would be limited here. Did that mean they were making ground?

Tommy reached out for the nearest bow before pausing. Techno’s shoulder was bleeding harshly, but he didn’t react to it as he blocked the goddess’ attack from where he was on the ground. Oceania smirked, stabbing him again in the thigh with her trident before hooking it under his sword and pushing it away. The goddess grabbed him by the throat, pulling him up into the air. He struggled as the trident was again aimed at his stomach.

It didn’t matter if he was blessed, _that would still kill him._

_He was about to die._

_Killed by a god._

_Was that... was that permanent?_

Everyone else was still picking themselves back up. They hadn’t noticed yet. Techno was about to die, _he had to do something._

Tommy didn’t have time to think, he had time to _do._ He looked around, trying to find anything to get Oceania’s grip off of Techno. His eyes landed on the admin’s sword. The admin weapon.

Ah, _screw it._

He ran towards it, picking it up. It was scalding hot in his hands, and he dropped it with a curse. He forgotten about that, damnit. “Come on!” He hissed to the weapon, as if it would listen. “One time, please! He’s dying!”

He picked the sword back up. It was cool to the touch, and he flexed his fingers around the grip that seemed to mold into a shape that would work for him. He mentally thanked the thing before running up to the ocean goddess.

Techno’s sword buried itself into the goddess’s gut.

Someone screamed.

The area around the goddess became electrified, and he felt someone pull him back by the collar of his shirt as the goddess clutched her wound, eyes wide in not pain, but _fear._ It was a fatal wound, but she was a god, but it was with the engraved sword-

Tommy realized what he did right before the goddess imploded, turning into water and vaporizing instantly. A blast of hot air swept over them, burning his skin. Whoever had grabbed him twisted until their body was blocking him from the blast. The pressure broke, and they were flung several feet away.

He hit the ground hard, and he groaned, opening his burning eyes. Phil was right next to him, still shielding him from the blast of heat. He heard Wilbur shout, and saw him and the other two drowned vaporize from the heat, dead and gone. Nether was holding Techno, and Tubbo was behind the god, looking out on the damage. Dream and End were very close to the epicenter of the explosion, End’s wings blocking most of the worst heat.

Suddenly, it all stopped.

Tommy looked up to see the crater Oceania left behind. End was the first one to get close. “She’s gone.” She confirmed.

She’s gone. And all her admins went with her. All of their servers went with them. He had killed her. He had killed them.

Phil’s protective stance suddenly turned into a hug and Tommy was crying.

  
  


She was floating- floating through a deep, dark abyss. Something had happened, she knew. Something big and _bad_ had happened, but what was it?

_Oceania…_

She froze, head darting around. The goddess couldn’t find who spoke, though. But that did answer one of her questions.

She wasn’t alone.

_Oceania…_

The voice was getting closer. It was soft and high, like a child’s voice would be. Who was speaking? Where was she? She looked at herself, eyes widening to find a gaping wound in her stomach, pulsing angrily.

Then it hit her. _She had died._

_Oceania…_

_Oceania…_

“Long time no see, Ocean.”

She jumped, spinning around even though she still couldn’t see anyone. That voice, that voice she knew all too well, even after all the years. “End.”

The original end god laughed, and she tensed at the sound. It was rough and harsh and _angry._ “You finally got what you deserved. Was it worth it, in the end?”

She glared at the darkness, snarling. “YOU GOT HIM KILLED! You deserved to-”

“Did it bring him back?” End asked, and Oceania paused, biting her lip. “Your need for revenge, for _justice,_ did the exact opposite, Ocean. You wanted me gone so I couldn’t take away anyone else you loved, but you did the exact opposite. You caused the respawn glitch and in doing so you lived up to your purpose. It’s all about misery and destruction, isn’t it?”

“No-” Oceania still didn’t believe it. She _couldn’t be_ the cause. “It’s just a coincidence- you have nothing to do with the respawn cycle!”

_Oceania…_

“You’ll never learn.” She heard End sigh. “You let your anger control you and now you’re paying the price.”

So she was dead, stuck in the place people go after they die. She perked up, excited. “Where are the humans?”

Where was the one she lost so long ago?

“Not here.” End said, and she immediately sank. “There’s two afterlifes, Ocean, one for gods, and one for humans and mobs. Those who glitch get neither. _They don’t exist anymore.”_

There was a pain in her heart, harsher than her aching stomach wound. She wanted to cry, _she missed him so much,_ but then that pain turned into anger. “It’s still your fault!” She hissed. “You caused him to glitch! Your new goddess told me.”

_Oceania…_

“I know.” End laughed, and Ocean blinked, confused. “I can see through her eyes, you know. She’s grown up to be such a good god- I hope Nether knows I’m proud.” He paused, and the silence spoke volumes. “I could have brought him back.”

Oceania froze, tensing. **_“What?”_ **

“I had the thought while I was drowning, over and over again.” End spat. “The respawn cycle wasn’t broken at that point in time, so we could’ve reversed the effects. I tried to figure out how to do so, but then I just kept _dying over and over and_ ** _over_** and, well, you know that can’t be good for your mental health. By the time you took me out, I had completely forgotten about it. Then you threatened Nether and any chance of fixing the cycle was blown into the wind.”

 _Pain._ Her heart hurt _so much._

_Oceania…_

“Who is that?!” She finally snapped, and the voice seemed to giggle. “Show yourself!”

“It would be better for you if we stayed hidden.” End hummed, and did he say ‘we’? “But I long stopped caring for your safety.”

The space in front of Oceania seemed to vibrate, and suddenly End was there, looking like the new End’s twin brother. Since he died so young, the new End actually looked older than him, but they still shared the same dark hair and piercing purple eyes. While Oceania didn’t see a death mark on him, he still looked terrible- scars crisscrossing his body like artwork. Oceania was mortified, those weren't there before. "What-" she gulped. _"What did that?"_

"There's a monster in here with us." The old End grinned, and she had a sinking feeling in her gut. "Luckily, I've gotten the chance to befriend it. Told them _all about_ you and what you've done and wow, _they don't like you."_

_Oceania…_

Fear clenched the goddess's heart. That voice, it was familiar- it reminded her of the beginning, when they were just created.

It clicked in her head _"No."_

 _"Yes."_ End raised an arm, and someone appeared beside them. It was a little girl- maybe eight or nine. Her honey brown barky hair was cut short to her shoulders, and her forest green eyes glowed brightly. Like Oceania, she also had a mark showing how she died. There was a splatter of blood covering her chest, over her heart. She tilted her head almost mechanically at her, giggling.

_She had forgotten._

_After so long with the Woods she knows, she had forgotten._

_There had been one before._

_And she had been insane._

"The longer you stay here, the more power you get." End continued, as if he wasn't standing next to a _maniac._ "Woods has been here for a _long_ time- she knows the ins and outs of this place, better than I ever will. At first, she wasn't too... _happy_ with my presence."

Woods giggled, eyes much too wide. "I was happy alone, he disturbed my peace."

End winced, as if remembering something extra painful. "But we soon came to an agreement. Do you remember why she died, Oceania?"

Of course she did- it was why her heart was pounding so much.

When they all were created, they were little and didn't know much better. They didn't realize that Woods was acting weird, because they didn't know the difference yet. So what if she killed the mobs they spawned in? So what if she seemed to crave blood? It was normal for Woods so it was normal for them.

Then she hurt Desert, and they had to intervene.

None of them knew what to do- they were all still young, Woods looking the oldest, and they didn't know how to handle a situation like that. They settled for trying to talk to her about it.

She just laughed.

That's when Jungle -who had been quiet the entire meeting- turned and stabbed her through the heart.

"It had to be done." Jungle said afterwards, and why were they so serious? Jungle had never been so serious before. "She wouldn't have stopped."

Then Nether found a baby crying in the woods and they realized they could be reborn, to a point.

The first Woods was a _psychopath._ A fucking _sadist,_ and she now understood what End said about there being a monster in here with them. She understood how he got those scars.

"I-" she looked around, searching for an escape, but _there were none. She was dead._ "I-"

Woods giggled, tilting her head. She gasped in pain as a cut appeared along her torso, dragging itself up jaggedly. "Jungle didn't understand, Ocean. I didn't like Desert, but I liked Jungle, I liked Nether, too. I wouldn't have hurt _them."_ She frowned. "She misunderstood my intentions. I like End now too, and from what I heard, _you got him **killed."**_

Oceania was scared. "No-"

Woods' smile turned sharp and sinister. "Come on Ocean, we have _till the end of time_ in here. **_Play with me, let's have some fun~"_ **

  
  


“They’re not dead.” 

Dream spun around. “What?”

A day had passed, filled with him and End getting all of his server members back into their regular bodies. He couldn’t help much besides keep everyone in order, and End couldn’t do more than one person at a time, so it was a long process. He thought that Nether had shown up to help, not drop that bombshell on him.

“Oceania’s admins aren’t dead.” Nether repeated. “They’re all in comas, like when the old End passed. It’s not much better, but at least now the admin counsel has time to evacuate servers or replace admins before they start dying off. Hopefully, if they’re quick enough, the only casualties will be her admins.”

That was still hundreds of people. Dream probably knew some personally. It was good news, but not good enough. “Is there any chance she can be reborn?”

“We won't know until either admins start waking up or we find the new god.” Nether sighed, sharing a glance with End. The goddess turned away and started on a new body. “It took End at least a month to be reborn. Admins can’t last much longer than that.”

Dream looked away, mind going to Tommy. The boy had been inconsolable, even though everyone agreed that they would’ve done the same thing. They had to figure something out. “Can you take over their blessings?”

“It’s not just a physical thing, Dream.” End murmured. “It’s mental. They’re broken, and unless another Ocean appears for them to latch on and heal from, they’ll pass.”

He hated not being able to do anything. Nether started helping End out, and with two gods the process quickened significantly. He watched the progress, mind lost in thought.

Oceania was dead. They were safe, but the respawn glitch was unfixable and multiple admins were going to die, the possibility of their servers crashing with them.

They had won, but had they really?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... don't know how I feel about this chapter. I got the key points and concepts down, I just don't think it was climatic enough. This was the main problem I had with this part. Sorry...


	40. Epilouge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowwe look at that I actually managed to end the damn thing!   
> I wanted to make the end cute and less angsty, so uh, here!

Techno woke up to something sitting on his stomach. He opened his eyes, squinted at the thing, sighed and closed his eyes again, ignoring it.

It wasn't an it. It was a  _ boy. _

Techno blinked, sitting up and opening his eyes. A boy, a toddler, maybe, sat on his stomach, looking at him with bright blue eyes. The boy's skin was the color of jungle wood, and his hair was a color that resembled dried kelp. He wore a soft turquoise onesie, the hood pulled up and over his head. "Hewwo!"

Techno didn't have the patience for  _ whatever  _ this was. His shoulder and thigh had been mostly healed, but they still ached and he’d rather  _ not _ right now. Where was Phil when you needed him? "Hey kid. Who are you?"

The boy grinned. "I'm me!" He giggled. "You piggy! From Nehwer."

He didn't know how the child knew he was an admin, or that he was blessed by Nether, but at least he now had someone to blame for this. "You know Nether?"

The boy frowned in confusion. "Yes?"

"That doesn't sound very certain." Techno grabbed the child, holding him in his arms as he got out of bed. He didn't let go, opting to carry him around instead. "What's your name?"

The child grinned again. "Oceanus!"

Techno almost dropped him.

_ That... makes a lot more sense. _

He grinned, Nether's previous discussion on this topic coming back to him. Whatever forces at work decided to create a new ocean god days after the old one died, meaning the old ocean's admins were still alive. He expected him to look similar to Oceania, given that the Ends did, but hey, he didn't understand and he doesn't care to. Hopefully, the admins have already connected to this new god, and they were safe. Well, maybe, he doesn't know how it works. He barely understands this blotched reincarnation thing.

"Hey Techno-  _ who's the baby?" _ Wilbur walked up to him, eyes narrowed and lips pursed at the child. Oceanus just giggled and reached for his curly hair.

"The new ocean god." Techno said simply, turning away from the now gaping Wilbur. He started making his way to the SMP. "Mind telling Dream I'm on my way? See if he can get in touch with End." Better then Nether, since water and hell don't mix well.

He didn't hear Wilbur's response, and didn't wait. He walked along the path, letting Oceanus hop out of his arms and toddle around. The kid was adorable, he couldn't lie. Was he an orphan? Did gods have parents? Well, he didn't have to be the second worst thing that ever happened to  _ every _ orphan, right? Exceptions can be made.

Besides, bullying a god seemed like a bad idea, no matter the age or size. Techno might be able to stomp him under his foot, but who's to say the kid won't just giggle and then drown him in his own saliva?

They arrived at the bunker, and Oceanus disappeared, teleporting onto Techno's shoulders. "Wes go piggy!"

Techno sighed, trying to hide the fact that  _ damn he was adorable _ from the child himself. He took the stairs two at a time and emerged in Manburg.

"Wow." Dream was waiting for him. "Is that who I think it is?"

"A baby god?" Techno asked. "If so, then yes, you'd be correct. Oceanus, meet-"

"Dweam!" The little god made grabby hands. "Blobby!

"Awe." Wilbur appeared behind Techno, and he  _ didn _ ' _ t _ jump, he  _ swears. _ "Piggy and blobby. He's great at names."

Dream just chuckled. "I got your message. I think I contacted End, but I'm not too sure."

"It worked." 

Techno jumped this time, turning his head to see two people that  _ definitely _ weren't there before. End smiled, eyes darting around until she saw Oceanus. "So it's true."

"Yep." Wilbur nodded, eyes looking at her questionably. "So, are those admins going to be okay?"

End nodded, and Wilbur smiled. "They are gifted by the ocean, we are just the vessels that carry out the blessing. Now that another vessel has been made for the ocean, the admins will hopefully latch on to him."

Techno let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he had been holding. 

"Sorry to interrupt." Nether didn't sound sorry at all. He turned to Wilbur. "But we got to steal your admin friends for a second. Thanks okay bye-" a bright light flashed, and suddenly they were elsewhere.

Dream was still next to him, and he looked around, confused. "Why'd you do that?"

"Hello?" He pointed to Oceanus. "Tiny ocean god who obviously can't control his powers walking around by people who were, just a bit ago, being controlled by another ocean god's powers?  _ Sorry _ for being cautious."

Techno didn't know if he loved or hated his god.

"Better to keep him away from all mortals until he learns to control his powers." End finishes, looking at Techno. "Can you please let him down?"

Techno nodded, grabbing Oceanus and taking him off his shoulders, setting him on the ground. The little boy wobbled up, looking at the two gods as if he already knew them.

He turned towards Nether and stumbled forward. "Nehwer!"

He came up to the god's shin, and Nether froze, looking at the child who was now latched onto his feet. End looked amused beyond belief. "I didn't know you were so good with kids, Nether."

"Get him off!" Nether hissed quietly. "He's so small and squishy, I could drop kick him a hundred yards!"

Techno loved his god.

Oceanus frowned at Nether, and suddenly a little storm cloud appeared over the god, soaking him and doasing any flames on his body. Nether glared at the child, unamused.

Nevermind, Techno loved Oceanus.

"Thank you for telling us about him." End was saying, smiling at the sight of the two glaring gods. "There hasn't been a new god in a long time, the others will be excited."

"NO THEY WON'T!" Nether was yelling, one foot held off the ground. Oceanus was holding onto that foot, laughing as Nether wiggled it, trying to dislodge him. "HE'S LIKE A SILVERFISH- CAN WE GIVE HIM BACK?!"

He heard a familiar wheezing start up, and decided to speak for Dream. Gotta pull his co-admin weight at some point, right? "He's yours now."

Oceanus stopped giggling, pouting and looking his way. "Piggy?" He looked hurt, and was Techno really feeling guilty about being mean to a child? Yes, sure, the child was probably a day old, if that, but  _ still. His brand! _

"Alright, now listen here you midget god." He stared at the child. "We don't want you here. Go hang out with the other gods."

Instead of getting upset, Oceanus just smiled, as if he knew Techno didn't mean what he said. "You have pretty eyes, piggy."

Techno froze, hands going up to his mask. It was still there, it was still on, his face was covered so how-

_ Fuckin screw the gods. _

The wheezing had stopped, but now Nether was cackling, head thrown back and clutching his stomach. "Oh, that was priceless. You should've _ seen _ the look on your face!"

Well, he guessed that's one way to learn that gods can see through masks.

Like admin like god, both Dream and End seemed very amused about the situation. End laughed softly, bending down and picking up the child. "You have a lot to learn, Ocean."

The child seemed excited. "Wawer piggies!" He exclaimed, and Techno slapped a hand over his face. Water pigs, really? "Wawer blobbies!"

"We'll see." End turned to them. "Don't worry, gods normally grow faster than humans. This won't last long."

Nether chuckled. "Yeah, and instead of dealing with an adorable kid you'll have a teenage god playing pranks on you."

"You know." Dream crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his face. "I found a command that locks the server from gods, too. Don't make me use it."

End gasped dramatically. "You wouldn't."

"I think everyone on this server would like to relax for a bit." Dream shrugged, and Techno knew he wasn't lying. The other admin had shown Techno the command, and Techno was pro using it. "You'll be whitelisted, though."

The goddess smiled, and that's when Nether frowned, turning to Techno. "What about me?"

Techno shrugged. "Too bloodthirsty. I'm kinda too tired for that right now."

_ Technoblade, too tired for shedding blood? _ Now that was saying something.

Nether just blinked, sighing. "Understandable."

Oceanus frowned at him. "Shawk!" He said, and Nether perked up, grinning as he launched into a rather long speech about a 'shark' that Techno immediately tuned out of.

He turned towards End. "Since this is probably goodbye for awhile, is there anything else we should know?" Wilbur and whoever else had gathered was probably waiting for them. They should get going.

"Expect a new update soon." End said after a moment. "It'll take longer to integrate, since we lost Oceania, but it's basically ready. It's dangerous, though, and since the glitch can't be fixed, I wouldn't restart the server when updating."

Dream frowned. "Why?"

"There's new caves." The goddess explained. "And those new caves, well, there's something in there that you wouldn't want  _ anywhere _ near spawn."

That definitely wasn't foreboding in any way. Techno decided to ignore it for now. "Great, more death. Anything else?"

For a second, the goddess looked guilty. "I apologise for pulling you and your friends into a god's spat. It was not your battle to fight, but you were forced to fight it anyways. The ocean can and always will be a place of destruction, and it's god will always be it's harbinger. I just hope that this time, we can teach them to be a little more tame."

A few feet away, Oceanus pinched Nether's nose. The grown man screamed.

"It's cool." They all knew it wasn't, but it was Techno's way of saying he didn't blame her, and End seemed to realize that too. "Besides, I'm not the one that really needs the apology." He stood next to Dream, bumping his shoulder against the other man's. "This guy, on the other hand…"

Dream swatted him away. "I'm cool too." He assured, and Techno and End shared a glance. "Really, I'm over it."

"Dream." Techno stared at him as if his mask wasn't there. "You've been stabbed, chained up, beaten, drowned, stabbed again,  _ drowned again, _ need I go on?" The man was on the edge of a cliff, barely hanging on, and everyone could tell. They've all tried to get through to him, and the closest anyone's come is Tubbo. He doubts he'll be the one to finally get through, but he should at least  _ try. _

Dream gave him a look that said  _ not here. _ Well, that was something, wasn't it?

End winced. "You deserve an apology too. Your entire server does. While it may not mean much, know that if you ever call, we will come. Your server will forever be protected by us."

Dream nodded, smiling. Techno did a short wave as light washed over them. Right before they left, Techno shouted. "Nether, you lost a fight to a 1 year old!" And then he was gone.

They came back to the entire server waiting, and they were swept up with questions and concerns. Techno met Dream's eyes (mask-) and the man nodded. He'd get the other admin to talk at some point, when they were alone and had the time. Maybe being someone who he knew but wasn't super close to before all this was good. Maybe he didn't want the same viewpoint.

Maybe he just wanted to fight his emotions out. Techno didn't know, but he did know that he was officially on this server for the long haul, and he'll be damned if he lets anyone down, even if the person is the server admin.

Wilbur wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and Tommy took his distraction as a chance to land a hit on him. He had probably heard the news- he knew the admins would be safe. He hadn't killed them. His attack failed miserably, and for a second he thought he killed the boy before he jumped back up, eyes full of rage. Someone -Schlatt maybe- was cackling at the scene and Wilbur was yelling at the boy for ruining the moment. A few feet away, Sapnap was ruffling Tubbo's hair as George ran away from Dream, the admin's mask clutched in his hand. The archer threw it at Punz, who caught it and disappeared. It was organized _ chaos, _ but it was also  _ joy _ and  _ relief _ and  _ love. _ Techno zoned out the sound, just enjoying the feeling of safety and warmth.

He can't wait for the incoming nap.

  
  
  


It was dark in the meadow, but the moon was full and bright in the cloudless sky, so Dream had no problem seeing. He made his way through the brush, catching sight of a man leaning against a tree, half hidden in shadows. "Thought you wouldn't show."

Dream scoffed. "I'm a man of my words, Techno."

The other admin pushed away from the tree. He knew what he wanted. He wanted Dream to talk- to get his feelings off his chest and relax. That's all  _ anyone _ wanted him to do nowadays, and he's  _ tried, _ but it doesn't work. None of it works.

He doesn't need to talk. He needs something else.

"Before you start." Dream cut Techno off as he opened his mouth. Dream dug through his inventory, grabbing and placing a chest. He dropped his fairly empty inventory into it, only excluding two items. "I want to make a deal."

The meadow went quiet.

"A deal?" Techno's voice had gone… strange. It wasn't monotone, but it wasn't particularly cautious either. He sounded intrigued and… knowing, maybe. "I thought you swore off those."

"I know why you made this meeting." Dream ignored him. "Talking doesn't work, believe me, I've tried."

"You can't just not do anything, Dream." Techno retorted, crossing his arms. "Last time you did that a demon stabbed you."

A demon stabbed Tubbo, he didn't matter in that event. His coping methods led to someone else getting hurt. He couldn't let that continue. "Talking won't help." He replied, before taking out one of the last items in his inventory and throwing it to Techno. The other admin caught it easily- an iron sword, identical to his own. "How about we fight it out instead?"

Techno's an easy man to figure out. He was a lot like Dream, really, but the main difference is that while Dream likes fighting, Techno seemed to  _ live _ off it. Especially ones that are challenging. And out here, with no cameras or watchers? There was no way he'd deny the opportunity.

Just like he thought, Techno twisted the blade in his hand, as if getting used to the weight. He stepped forward, dropping his armor and other materials into the chest. "I'm down for that." He said. "But what about the deal part?"

"It'll make it fun." Dream shrugged. "Best out of 9. If you win, I'll sit down and let you play therapist. If I win-" he grinned, a long term plan finally coming to fruition. "You'll show me your face."

The meadow went silent again.

Techno laughed. "Sure, why not?"

**_A deal has been made._ **

Then he was dashing forward, and their blades met in a spark of iron. Dream grinned as the adrenaline swept through him.

The rest of the night was filled with clashing metal and baited breaths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I've known Oceanus for a single day but if anything happens to him I will kill everyone here and then myself. Let him have fun with piggy and blobby god damnit!  
> Also, there's one bonus chapter left!


	41. Bonus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the fight. Who won?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little bonus thing I wrote for after the fight. A little recap of everything that happened, and some closure for Dream.

Dream panted, falling back against a log and gasping for breath. Techno was in the same boat, leaning heavily against a nearby tree.

"Nice moves." The other admin commented. "That stick surprised me."

He let out a breathy laugh. "That's how I felt when you threw an egg at me."

"All's fair-"

"In love and war, yeah." Dream took a deep breath, dropping the sword he still clutched in his hand. The moon shone brightly overhead. They still had time. "The last month's been crazy, huh?"

"Tell me about it." The other admin slid down the tree to sit at the bottom, relaxing. "The _one day_ I decide to go to Earth."

Dream arched an eyebrow. "That's where he found you?"

"Yeah." Techno seemed to realize then that Dream might not know about that because he was trapped at the time. "It was really confusing at first. He logged in and suddenly Wilbur was yelling at us, telling us to teleport over and shouting about the admin. Then _he_ appeared and he somehow knew _I_ was an admin before even I did." Techno shook his head, and why was he being so open? Was it a way to get Dream to open up? "And he had your axe, and I dunno _why_ I did it but I just knew he couldn't keep it."

Dream's hands clutched the grass beneath him. "Admin weapons, they're something else, aren't they?" He chuckled. "Admins have been researching them for a long time. They're a part of us, but they're different. My axe won't let my best friend touch it, but it'll let you."

"The same for mine." Techno looked at his sword, as if expecting it to glow white. "It let Tommy take it, but I don't think it was because of what he's said. I think it just didn't want to hurt him."

Dream briefly wondered if the same thing would happen if Tubbo grabbed his axe. It better. "How did you get it from him?"

"I let him get me." The man shifted. "Then I took it from him. Wilbur teleported me to him and that's how we found out about my admin status. Then we went for you." He paused. "How'd he get you in the first place? The others explained it, but they didn't understand it fully, did they?"

If Dream was a bit more awake, a bit less tired and a bit more closed off, he would've noticed Techno's attempts to open him up and would've stopped him.

But he wasn't, so he answered. "The admin appeared on our server randomly and requested my attention. The server is whitelisted, you know, so him being there should've been impossible. I gathered everyone up and explained that he was most likely a rogue admin, since I caught him teleporting even though it was my server."

"Because he had connected the servers." Techno nodded. "That's how his server survived until they found a new admin for it, right?" He wasn't too well versed on admin knowledge. He was just trying to keep Dream talking.

"Yeah." The other man nodded. "Anyways, he appeared and tried to strike a deal with me. I-" he ducked his head. "I muted my friends. I was going to make the deal but they stopped me."

Techno, surprisingly, said nothing on the fact that he muted his friends. "What was the deal?"

"We dual. If I win, he tells me why he was there, and if I lose I'd get admin banned."

He expected backlash, like from the others, but Techno just shrugged. "I'd probably take the deal. I mean, he was a decent fighter but we both could take him 1v1. Also, it's a dual, he wouldn't be able to cheat or it'd be void." 

"Exactly." Dream hid his smile. "But they were still against it. The admin got mad and he- he took Sapnap and disappeared. We got him back but, the amount of _blood..."_

Techno's seen the aftermath, every time Wilbur's bandaged Sapnap up. He wasn't here to bring that back up. "Were you angry with yourself?"

Dream laughed. "What are you, a therapist?"

"No." Techno shrugged. "I'm just putting myself in your shoes. If it were Wilbur or Phil or _Tommy_ I'd blame myself- say I wasn't fast or strong enough, even though I couldn't do anything about it either way."

Dreams hands clenched and unclenched, and he couldn't see Techno stare because he was looking down. "He told us about the trophies, he explained that the admin was a hunter, and then the dick showed up and threatened to burn down Tommy's base if I didn't come out and talk to him. So I did, and we made a deal and if course he cheated and-"

Dream took a deep, shuddery breath, and Techno leaned forward, trying to check the visible part of his face to see if he had pushed too far. "It's okay." He tried. "I can ask the others-"

"No." Dream said, because he didn't want the others to live through it again. "He cheated during the fight, used code chains and got me in the leg-" his fingers ghosted over his thigh. "-which of course voided the deal but he pretended like it didn't. The others stepped in and he tied me to a tree so I couldn't protect them. He almost killed Tommy-"

Techno's heard this story before, in much greater detail, so he already knew what happened and what parts he needed to say something at. This was one of the bigger parts. "Does it still hurt?"

Dream's hand went to hover over his shirt, since he took his hoodie off before the duel. After a moment of hesitation, he pushed a sleeve down his shoulder to showcase a part of the scar.

It was old enough not to hurt with every movement, but new enough that it still looked bad. Red and puffy and rubbed raw due to their battle. It disappeared into the collar of his shirt, but he knew how long it was. The respect and gratefulness his sacrifice gained him in Techno's eyes is unmeasurable. "All the time."

It was quiet for a second, before Techno shifted, moving his cloak and pulling up the side of his undershirt to show off a similar scar, one that was more flayed then the other, though. "It gets worse when you think about everything." Techno admitted, dropping the shirt and pulling the cloak closer to him. "It's nothing like the actual pain-"

"But it makes you feel like you're back there." Dream finished for him. "Makes you remember how you felt before it all hit. The emotions, the fear, what you did wrong, what you could do better…"

"You saved his life, Dream."

"I shouldn't have let him go out there, anyway." Dream snapped back, and Techno laughed.

"If you didn't, he would've snuck out, and that's a lot more dangerous." He pointed out, and Dream knew it was true. "You kept them safe-"

Dream scoffed. " _I_ did shit." He spat. " _I_ got lured into the woods in the middle of the night and was kidnapped, _I_ made a foolish deal with the admin that made him think everything was set in stone and made him more unstable, _I_ lost my axe which caused you to get hurt. _How is that keeping people safe?"_

"Dream, none of that was something you could control." He tried to sound as genuine as possible. "You didn't make a deal thinking it would destabilize the man, you didn't ask for me to fall on your axe, and you definitely didn't ask to be kidnapped. You didn't bring the admin into the server, you didn't tell him to take Sapnap, and you didn't get him started on his whole hunter phase. _None of this is your fault."_

He didn't know if he hasn't heard it yet, or coming from his rival sounded different, but Dream froze, as if he couldn't comprehend. "No-"

"You didn't ask for any of this. All you did was protect our friends. You kept them safe- I'll have to thank you for that, some time."

He forced a laugh. Techno studied him, and Dream felt something crawl along his skin. It felt like he was back in the dungeon, with the admin watching him. He could _feel_ the bars press against his wounds again, the pain was _coming back-_ "If I had done my job, the demon wouldn't of grown on our server."

Techno shook his head. "Remember, End said that was Oceania's fault. Stop beating yourself up for stuff you couldn't control."

"But I could!" Dream cut in. "If I had just taken the admin out immediately, _none of this_ would've happened! You and Phil wouldn't be involved, the demon would've never spawned, the admins wouldn't have been at risk…"

"Dream." Techno stopped him. "All of that was started by the gods. If it didn't happen to us, it would've happened to another server. A server that didn't have _you_ to protect them."

It reminded him of what Tubbo had said, and he clenched his jaw shut. _Were they right?_

Techno had heard of the demon problem too, from Tubbo. That's when he mostly took control over water related glitches, even though he wasn't impartial to water. He didn't really know if talking about it was helping, but he continued on. "What about End's memories? You said you remembered all of them. What about the ones we didn't see?"

Dream's lip quirked up, and this time it wasn't forced. "The first one was when End was around Oceanus' size. She was trying to fly in the nether and Nether had to stop her 'cause it was dangerous."

Techno laughed. "I can't imagine him being a responsible guardian."

"He was, surprisingly so." Dream replied, before frowning. "End got upset, and asked why she was so small compared to him, because the gods were all made at the same time. He told her about the first End god."

"He told her as a child?" Techno leaned forward, intrigued. "Interesting. Any other memories?"

Dream winced. "Yeah. There was one where she overhears Oceania and Desert, but there wasn't much there. The other one, though- she was, like, 10, and helping Desert build his temple. Oceania trapped her in the hidden pit in the middle, and she wasn't good enough with her powers to get out. She started having flashbacks of the other End trapped in the water box, and she accidentally stepped on the pressure plate which lights the TNT."

Techno tilted his head. "That's not all, I'm guessing."

Dream ducked his head. "During the flashback, some of my own memories mixed in. I was back in the dungeon, pressed against the bars. _The pain felt real,_ Techno, I dunno how to…" he trailed off.

Techno guessed that out of everything, this was one of the main problems. He seemed mostly over the demon, thanks to Tubbo, and he didn't fault himself over anything that started with the gods. He was mostly upset with how he dealt with the admin, and if his mind kept wandering back to that time… "I think you're beating yourself up, Dream."

"Huh?" Dream looked up, and his mask had slid enough that Techno could see a single eye blink.

"You still blame yourself for the admin, don't you?" He asked, but didn't wait for an answer. "You keep punishing yourself because of it, and it comes in the form of that memory. In nightmares, in flashbacks, whenever you close your eyes you have a chance of seeing it."

He could see the man's defenses rise. "You sound like you talk from experience."

"Because I do."

Dream faltered, and Techno sighed, hands coming up to untie the mask around his face. For the first time in a long time he took it off, eyes meeting Dream's single seeable eye. Almost as if someone was watching, the wind picked up, blowing Dream's mask to the side so that his face was completely seeable. They locked eyes.

He wasn't expecting them to be red.

It had surprised him. "Techno-"

"It happened a while ago." The other admin started. "I was young, a little older than Tommy, maybe. I was traveling around with Phil, looking for a server I could stay on so Phil could start his hardcore world."

Dream narrowed his eyes. Wilbur had told him about this, one night during the war when he wanted to drink away nightmares and Dream was the only one around. "This was after you left Wilbur's home server?"

Techno nodded. "We decided that Hypixel was good enough, and he helped me set up a base on Skyblock. It was good, but Hypixel works differently, due to the plugins. Something in the game glitched, and a skeleton with an enchanted bow spawned on my island. Whatever that bow was enchanted with caused this."

He pushed down his shirt collar to show a starburst scar on his shoulder, big and jagged and probably very painful. Dream winced. "Some mobs can spawn with an enchantment that's kind of similar to an admin weapon, just less powerful." He explained. "Code chains are made to find those mobs and get rid of them before they hurt someone."

"They were a little slow there." Techno huffed, but he didn't seem mad. "Phil stayed with me until I was healed and then went off. I thought everything was fine, but then the nightmares started. Almost everyday, I watched that _traitor_ kill my old friend, watched him try to hurt Wilbur. But instead of the arrow hitting him, I would jump in the way, and it would hit me instead, and the pain would be like the pain I felt from that enchanted bow. I had that nightmare for _months."_

He felt bad, and he briefly wondered if Techno ever told anyone else about this. Seeing as they thought the same way, probably not. "That sucks."

"That's not the point." Techno's eyes were red, but in the moonlight they looked blue, and it startled him. "They didn't go away until I made myself realize that my friend's death wasn't my fault. The traitor being a spy wasn't my fault. Wilbur getting hurt wasn't my fault." He looked down. "It took me one and a half years to get that through my head. After I did, they stopped."

What he told Tubbo was true. He didn't dream of drowning anymore. If he did, it was an uncommon occurrence. He did, though, remember the dungeon more often than not. While they were working towards defeating the admin or Oceania his mind compartmentalized it and he was able to forget, but once everything calmed down it was shoved back into the forefront of his mind and all he could think about was _pain_ and _this is your fault, you deserve it._

He shivered, but the night wasn't that cold. End was a god, and she couldn't stop the admin or Oceania, was it really good to think he could've either?

"Everyone on this server today is alive _because of you,_ Dream." He heard the voice waft softly through the air. "Everyone is safe _because of you."_

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and was surprised when it sounded like a muffled sob. He clenched his jaw shut, hopeing his eyes wouldn't water because _no,_ he was _not_ going to cry. _No._

Then a hand was on his shoulder and when had Techno moved? The man sat next to him, a silent wall of comfort, and he _knew_ Techno hated most forms of _anything social_ so the fact that he did that almost made Dream lose it _again._ He didn't say anything, moved his hand off his shoulder and just sat there, face pointed up to stare at the moon.

He didn't say anything at all, and Dream ducked his head down, forcing his body to relax, to calm down. He appreciated it, he really did, and while talking to him was helpful he'd rather find Sapnap and cry to him, because Techno didn't deserve that.

"If I don't help you out, what kind of rival am I?" The other admin said, and did Dream speak out loud by accident? "You don't have to open up to me, I probably wouldn't either. You do, though, need to open up to _someone._ Sapnap still has nightmares, you know? You can help each other."

Dream still lived with his oldest friend. They had built a new room away from glass walls for him to sleep in, but the house wasn't big enough that when one of them started thrashing from a nightmare it wouldn't wake the other up. It got to the point where Sapnap just set up an extra bed in Dream's room, because he knew having someone close by helped him sleep. There were also times, though, when Dream would be startled awake. Those were the times where he would get out of bed, walk over to where Sap was half asleep, half awake, thrashing or crying, and he'd have to wake him up and hold him until he calmed down. 

They both loved the times when they could invite George over for a sleepover, because those were the rare times when the nightmares never came. When George was too busy, Tubbo would come over, or Wilbur, or Punz, or, heck, _Techno_ that one time. He didn't know if they realized how much it helped, spending the night and keeping the memories at bay.

Dream sighed. He didn't want to talk about it anymore, even though it did help. "So you got me to talk and I got you to take your mask off. The duel doesn't even matter anymore, does it?"

"No." Techno laughed. "Does anybody else know you're out here?"

"No." He left after Sapnap fell asleep, and the man shouldn't wake up since George was staying over. "I didn't tell anyone."

"Me neither." Techno stood, holding a hand out for him. "Then nobody needs to know. And if nobody knows-"

"Then who cares who won?" Dream said with a grin, taking his hand and pulling himself up. They both fixed their masks, putting them back into place. They looked at each other and grinned. It was the closest either of them would get to a thank you.

The two walked away, feet carrying them back home. They had both done their end of the deal, even though the fight had a clear winner.

So that only left one question.

Who won?

Well, they both did their part- Dream talked it out and Techno took off his mask. Each side was complete. So… did it really matter?

Who won, who lost? Did it matter, when it was a deal known only to them?

Well, to them, and their gods?

There was a reason why the loser didn't automatically complete their part of the deal, per normal admin rules.

They walked away, unknowing of the faithful eyes watching. To the rest of the world, the duel never happened, no one won, and no one lost. The winner stayed a secret.

Let's keep it that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all folks! That is probably the end of this storyline and this world in general, cause I dunno if y'all realized but this is literally three different stories all in one fic and I never meant to write this much for this fandom. Oh well.  
> This isn't the complete end for me, though. I plugged it a few chapters ago but if you like my storytelling check out 'Run Boy Run'. It's got most of the same people, but it's basically hybrid manhunt and the family dynamic goes _hard._ Check it out if you're interested. I'm also writing something else mystery/suspense oriented, which is new for me. It'll be out soon- I wanted to wait till I finished uploading this one before uploading that one. It''ll be out in a week or so. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed! Bye~


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